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A 


HISTORY  OF  NORWICH 


VERMONT 

(Published  by  Authority  of  the  Town) 


WITH  PORTRAITS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


M.  E.  GODDARD 
HENRY  V.  PARTRIDGE 


HANOVER,  N.  H. 
THE  DARTMOUTH  PRESS 


COPYRIGHT,  1905 
BY   HENRY   V.   PARTRIDGE 


/y9u 


PREFACE 


In  presenting'  this  history  to  the  public,  I  will  state  that  at  the 
request  of  a  number  of  our  people,  and  after  formal  action  on  the  sub- 
ject by  the  voters  of  the  town  in  town  meeting,  I  reluctantly  consented 
to  play  the  role  of  a  historian  by  cnriyinu'  forward  a  task  left  unfin- 
ished by  the  decease  of  our  highly  esteemed  fellow  townsman,  the 
late  M.  E.  (Joddai-d,  whose  scholarly  attainments  and  deep  interest  in 
the  subject  eminently  iitted  him  for  preparing  this  work. 

In  the  pi'eparation  of  this  pen  picture  of  our  town  I  have  used  the 

.    material   })repared  by  my  predecessor  in  the  undertaking,  and  such 

other  matter  as  the  limited  time  at  mv  control   has  enabled  me  to 

secure,  striving,  at  the  time,  to  pi'csent  a  correct,  though  not  graphic, 

presentation  of  the  subject. 

In  these  pages  the  reader  thereof  uill  find  the  history  of  our  Nor- 
wich from  the  time  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  grantees  of  this  newly 
granted  township,  held  at  the  house  of  William  AVaterman,  innkeeper, 
at  Mansfield.  Conn.,  in  the  sunnner  of  1761,  and  Avithin  a  little  more 
than  a  month  subsequent  to  the  signing  of  the  town's  charter  by  the 
royal  governor  of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire ;  and  the  onward 
developing  factors  that  were  to  crystallize  into  a  well  organized  com- 
munity; as,  also,  sketches  of  some  of  the  families  who  early  settled  in 
town,  and  of  individuals  whose  career  in  life  added  lustre  to  their 
home  tow^n,  and  warrants  mention  of  them  in  this  work ;  with  illustra- 
tions of  persons  and  places,  and  incidents  of  varied  character  in  the 
town's  life. 

Circumstances  have  forced  me  to  reduce,  somewhat,  from  what  I  had 
previously  intended,  the  contents  of  this  history,  by  leaving  unpub- 
lished some  material  already  prepared  for  the  work.  Although  the 
absence  of  that  matter  may  detract  somewhat  from  the  interest  of  the 
work,  it  will  not  materially  reduce  its  worth,  historically. 

In  conclusion  I  will  express  a  hope  that  this  story — though  a  tale 
not  well  told  in  all  its  parts — may  be  both  instructive  and  interesting 
to  its  readers,  and  that  their  mantle  of  charitv  mav  overcast  the  defects 
that  may  appear  in  the  form  of  its  presentation.  H.  V.  P. 

Norwich,  Vermont, 
October,  1905. 


UZOti'^OS 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  I 
Chapter  II 
Chapter  III 
Chapter  IV 
Chapter  V 
Chapter  VI 
Chapter  VII 
Chapter  VIII 
Chapter  IX 
Chapter  X 


Chapter 
Chapter 
(chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 


XI  . 

XII 

XIII 

XIV 

XV 

XVI 

XVII 

XVIII 

XIX 

XX 

XXI 

XXII 

XXIII 

XXIV 


Part  i  —  Historical 

Norwich  an  Independent  Township 

First  Settlements  in  Norwich 

Norwich  in  the  Controversy  with  New  York 

Proposed  Union  with  New  Hampshire 

Norwich  and  Dartmouth  College 

Hanover  Bridge 

Church  History 

Church  Historv  Concluded 

Norwich  in  the  Revolutionary  War 

Norwich  in  the  Second  War  with  Great 

Britain 
Norwich  in  the  Civil  War 
Educational 

The  A.  L.  S.  and  M.  Academy 
Political  Parties  in  Norwich     . 
Postmasters  and  Postal  Service 
Growth  and  Decline  of  Population 
Local  Names 
Industries 
Norwich  Merchants 
Cemeteries 

Epidemics  in  Norwich     .  .  . 

Agriculture  in  Norwich 
Free  Masonry 
Distinguished  Visitors  in  Norwich 


Page 

3 

21 

42 

48 

53 

57 

62 

74 

84 

91 

96 

103 

109 

116 

123 

128 

137 

139 

146 

149 

151 

153 

156 

158 

Part  11  —  Biographical 


163 


Part  hi  —  Miscellaneous 


253 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Norwich  Street  Scene  ....  9 

The  Newton  Inn  .  .  .  .  .51 

Congregational  Church,  Norwich  Village  .  .  y^ 

Methodist  Meeting  House,  Beaver  Meadow  .  .  79 

Methodist  Church  at  Union  Village     .  .  .  81 

Episcopal  Church  at  Norwich       .  .  .  .83 

High  School  Building,  Norwich  Village  .  .  105 

Norwich  University  before  1852  .  .  .111 

Norwich  University,  1862      .  .  .  .  113 

Knapp's  Mill  .  .  .  .  .141 

Erastus  Messenger  House     .  .  .  .  211 

Col.  Wm.  E.  Lewis        .....         223 
Loveland  Homestead  .  .  .  .  225 

Rev.  N.  R.  Nichols        .....        229 
Capt.  Alden  Partridge  (two)  .  .  .  233 

Col.  Truman  B.  Ransom  ....         236 

Norwich  Public  Library         ....  273 


PART  I 

HISTORICAL 


CHAPTER  I 


NORWICH  AN  INDEPENDENT  TOWNSHIP 

A.    D.     1761-1782 


"Town  meetings  are  to  liberty  what  primary  schools  are  to  science:  they  bring  it 
within  the  people's  reach  ;  they  teach  men  how  to  use  and  how  to  enjoy  it." 

De  Tocqueville. 


In  America  the  germ  of  political  organization  is  the  Township — 
older  than  the  County,  older  than  the  State.  In  New  England  we  find 
towns  established  as  independent  communities,  endowed  with  distinc- 
tive rights  and  privileges,  as  early  as  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

It  is  to  these  town  governments  that  we  must  look  for  the  foundation 
of  republican  liberty — to  the  town  meeting,  where  all  citizens  meet 
on  a  plane  of  equality  to  choose  their  local  officers  and  manage  their 
local  affairs.  Here  is  the  firm  basis  upon  which  all  free  institutions 
can  rest. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  once  proposed  that  the  records  of  a  Xew 
England  town  should  be  printed  and  presented  to  the  governments  of 
Europe — to  the  English  nation  as  a  thank-offering  and  as  a  certificate 
of  the  progress  of  the  Saxon  race;  to  the  continental  nations  as  a 
lesson  of  humanity  and  love. 

De  Tocqueville  said  that  the  government  of  a  Xew  England  town- 
ship was  the  best  specimen  of  a  pure  democracy  that  the  world  has 
ever  seen. 

The  town  charters  granted  by  New  Hampshire  conferred  upon  ilie 
inJiahitants  of  each  township,  from  its  first  organization,  the  right 
of  self  government  in  town  meeting,  by  the  election  of  town  officers 
and  general  direction  of  to^vn  affairs. 


4  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Such,  also,  had  long  been  the  practice  in,  Connecticut,  from  whence 
a  large  proportion  of  all  the  early  settlers  had  emigrated  to  their 
new  homes  in  the  New  Hampshire  Grants. 

The  royal  decision  of  July  20,  1764,  which  extended  the  boundary 
of  New  York  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  River,  soon  re- 
sulted in  the  practical  relinquishment  by  New  Hampshire  of  all  claims 
to  jurisdiction  over  these  infant  settlements.  New  York  never  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  her  authority  over  them,  and  the  people  were 
thus  left  for  nearly  twenty  years  solely  to  the  town  meeting  and  the 
officers  therein  chosen  for  the  protection  of  life  and  liberty,  as  well 
as  for  the  management  of  their  local  affairs. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the  history  of  Norwich  that  the  town  was 
organized  and  officered  before  it  contained  a  single  inhabitant,  and 
before  the  first  white  man  had  entered  it  for  the  purpose  of  settle- 
ment. It  illustrates  the  aptitude  of  our  ancestors  for  self  government, 
and  their  dependence  on  law  and  order  as  a  necessary  basis  for  civil 
society. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  Mansfield,  Conn.,  on  the  same 
day  (August  26,  1761)  on  which  the  proprietors  of  the  town  met  and 
organized  for  business,  and  was  composed,  beyond  doubt,  of  the  same 
persons.     The  following  is  its  brief  record: — 

"At  a  Town  Meeting  of  the  Grantees  of  Norwich  held  on  Wed- 
nesday ye  26  Day  of  August  1761  at  the  House  of  M^'  Will°^  Water- 
man in  Mansfield — Eliezar  Wales  being  moderator  of  s^  meeting — 

' '  1  Voted  that  Eliezar  Wales  should  be  Town  Clerk  for  the  Current 
year — 

"2  Voted  Sam^  West  Capt  Abner  Barker  Major  Joseph  Stores 
Select  Men  for  the  Current  year — 

"3  Voted  Andrew  Crocker  Constable — 

"6  Voted  that  the  next  anuel  town  meeting  should  be  held  at  the 
dwelling  House  of  Mr.  W°^  Waterman." 

From  the  date  of  this  meeting  the  records  of  the  town  are  contin- 
uous and  unbroken  to  the  present  time,  except  that  there  are  no 
records  of  freemen's  meeting  preserved  prior  to  the  year  1794.  It  is 
thought  that  there  are  few  towns  in  the  State  whose  official  records 
are  more  complete  or  in  better  condition.  Previous  to  1778  these  are 
jiot  original  entries,  however,  but  the  records  of  preceding  years  were 


NORWICH   AN   INDEPENDENT   TOWNSHIP  J 

transcribed  and  compiled  (from  loose  sheets,  probably,)  by  Abel  Cur- 
tis, then  town  clerk,  in  a  clear,  bold  handwriting,  into  a  large  folio 
volume  given  to  the  town  by  Captain  Elisha  Burton  for  that  purpose. 
The  annual  town  meeting  in  Norwich  was  generally  held  on  the  second 
Tuesday  of  March — sometimes  still  later  in  the  month — in  conformity 
to  the  custom  in  New  Hampshire,  the  parent  state,  until  about  1847, 
when  the  time  was  changed  to  the  first  Tuesday,  as  is  now  the  uni- 
versal practice  in  Vermont. 

Town  meetings  continued  to  be  holden  at  the  house  of  Wm.  Water- 
man in  Mansfield,  annually,  for  the  choice  of  officers,  until  1768,  when 
the  first  town  meeting  within  the  town  of  Norwich  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Hatch,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  March.  At  this 
meeting,  in  addition  to  the  officers  mentioned  in  the  record  above, 
Elisha  Partridge  was  chosen  tithingman,  and  Peter  Thatcher,  Heze- 
kiah  Johnson,  Thomas  Murdock,  and  Jacob  Burton,  fence  viewers. 
Nathan  Messenger  acted  as  moderator  and  Thomas  Murdock  as  clerk. 
]Medad  Benton  was  chosen  constable,  an  office  that  he  held  both  the 
preceding  and  following  years.  In  1769,  John  Hatch  was  elected 
tow^n  clerk,  and  was  re-elected  each  year  till  1780,  with  the  exception 
of  the  year  1774,  when  Peter  Olcott  w^as  chosen. 

Town  meetings  were  held  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Hatch  from  1768 
to  1774 ;  in  the  latter  year  and  up  to  1780  at  the  house  of  Peter  Olcott. 
On  the  20th  of  April,  1780,  town  meeting  was  convened  for  the  first 
time  at  the  meeting  house — then  in  an  unfinished  condition — and 
from  that  time  forward  all  town  meetings  were  regularly  held  there 
for  more  than  sixty  years.  As  there  was  no  provision  for  warming 
this  house,  stoves  not  having  yet  come  into  use,  the  annual  March 
meeting,  and  special  meetings  held  in  winter,  were  sometimes  ad- 
journed to  a  neighboring  dwelling  house,  usually  to  Colonel  Olcott 's, 
to  Abel  Curtis',  or  Lieutenant  Koswell  Morgan's.  After  1846  town 
and  freemen's  meetings  were  held  at  the  church  on  Norwich  Plain  for 
a  term  of  ten  years,  after  which  they  w^nt  back  to  the  old  meeting 
house  at  the  Center  again  for  two  or  three  years.  Town  meeting  was 
held  for  the  first  time  at  Union  Hall,  March  20,  1855,  but  freemen's 
meetings  were  continued  at  the  Center  meeting  house*  till  1858. 

Additions  to  the  short  list  of  officers  were  made  from  year  to  year 
as  the  interests  of  the  town  were  found  to  require,  until  prior  to  the 

*This  building  was  sold  to  C.  A.  and  G.  M.  Slack  for  $150.00,  and  removed. 


6  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Revolution  nearly  a  full  board  of  town  officers,  as  now  required,  was 
annually  chosen.  In  1770  Hezekiah  Johnson  was  chosen  the  first 
treasurer  of  the  town  and  John  Wright  collector,  although  it  does  not 
appear  that  any  town  tax  was  voted  until  1772.  The  first  board  of 
assessors  (Phillip  Smith,  John  Slafter,  and  John  Sargent)  was  elected 
the  same  year,  and  likewise  three  overseers  of  the  poor  (Peter  Thatcher, 
Aaron  Wright,  and  Daniel  Baldwin),  thus  showing  that  the  poor,  even 
in  the  newest  settlements,  are  ever  with  us.  One  of  the  first  necessi- 
ties of  a  newly-settled  country  is  good  roads,  or  at  least,  such  roads 
as  render  communication  and  travel  possible.  The  construction  of 
these  will  always  impose  a  severe  tax  upon  the  first  settlers.  The 
proprietors  of  Norwich,  as  we  have  seen,  had  already  made  some  small 
beginnings  in  this  direction,  but  the  burden  of  that  work  was  hence- 
forth to  rest  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  to  carry  forward  as 
they  should  find  themselves  able.  At  the  annual  IMarch  meeting  in 
1769,  Hezekiah  Johnson,  Jacob  Burton,  Samuel  Partridge,  Nathan 
Messenger,  and  John  Hatch,  were  chosen  a  committee  "to  lay  out 
highways  where  they  shall  think  needful." 

In  July,  1770,  this  committee  made  a  report  at  a  special  town 
meeting.  The  proceedings  of  this  meeting  are  copied  entire  below,  as 
they  show  the  action  of  the  town  on  the  committee's  report  as  well  as 
the  location  of  some  of  the  first  roads  opened  to  travel  in  town : 

"At  a  Town  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Hatch  in  Norwich, 
July  the  9th,  1770— 

"1  Voted  ]\P  Peter  Thatcher  moderator,  John  Hatch  clerk. 

"2  Voted  to  accept  the  doings  of  Commite  that  was  chose  by  the 
propriety  to  lay  out  H  W^. 

3  Voted  to  accept  the  alteration  of  the  H  AV  at  pompanosuc. 

4  Voted  to  accept  of  the  alteration  of  the  H  W  by  Joseph  Smalleys. 
"5  Voted  that  the  alterations  of  the  H  W  at  Girl  Island  Brook* 

are  received  and  accepted. 

"6  Voted  that  the  alterations  of  the  H  W  that  goes  through  M'' 
Baldwins  Land  are  accepted. 


*Supposed  to  be  the  brook  which  empties  into  the  Connecticut  near  Mr.  Samuel 
Hutchinson's,  since  known  as  Johnson's  Brook.  The  tradition  is  that  a  young  girl  was 
lost  or  left  on  the  island  in  the  river  near  the  mouth  of  this  brook,  from  a  party  of  settlers 
pursuing  their  journey  on  the  river  in  the  earliest  times.  Among  the  old  families  the 
island  still  bears  the  name  above  given. 


£arly  town  meeting 


( ( < 


7  Voted  that  the  H  W  that  is  laid  from  Hartford  line  to  the  Saw- 
mill and  to  the  H  W  that  o'oes  bv  Elisha  Burtons  are  received  and 
accepted. 

''8  Voted  to  laj^  out  a  H  W  on  the  top  of  the  hill  above  ]\P  Water- 
mans  to  Joseph  Smalleys — " 

The  ''H.  W. "  referred  to  in  vote  seven  above,  ran  very  nearly  with 
the  present  road  from  the  fork  in  the  highway  north  of  H.  S.  God- 
dard's  to  C.  Bond's,  and  from  thence  easterly  to  the  corner  of  the 
main  street  of  Norwich  village  at  S.  A.  Armstrong's  (then  Elisha 
Burton's).  A  road  from  the  ferry  then  in  use  at  the  present  site 
of  the  Hanover  Bridge,  past  Captain  Burton's  to  the  site  of  the  old 
corner  store  in  Norwich  village,  burned  in  1875,  had  previously  been 
laid  by  the  Proprietors'  Committee.  The  first  road  placed  on  record 
as  laid  by  the  selectmen  of  the  town  connected  the  ferry  with  the 
grist  mill  on  Blood  Brook,  already  referred  to  as  built  by  Joseph 
Hatch  and  Oliver  Babcock.  This  road  was  located  in  1768,  nearly  as 
the  road  now  runs  to  the  present  mill.  The  following  year  a  road  was 
surveyed,  "starting  at  a  white  pine  tree,"  where  the  old  corner  store 
afterwards  stood,  and  running  two  and  one-fourth  miles  northwest 
towards  Sharon.  The  course  of  this  road  was  first  west  on  the  present 
road  to  A.  G.  Knapp's  mill  (where  a  grist  mill  was  erected  soon  after 
by  Elisha  Burton),  then  crossing  to  the  west  side  of  Blood  Brook  it 
passed  in  a  northerly  direction,  near  an  old  barn  now  standing  in  Mrs. 
button's  meadow,  up  the  hill  past  Deacon  John  Button's  and  the 
Crandall  farm  direct  to  D.  H.  Bragg 's,  and  from  thence  continued 
in  a  northwest  course  on  substantially  the  present  highway  to  Jonas 
Richards'  (now,  1888,  Chas.  E.  Cloud's).  In  1779,  a  four-rod  high- 
way was  laid  direct  from  the  ferry  to  the  first  meeting  house,  then 
building  on  the  hill  (near  Henry  Goddard's).  This  highway,  familiarly 
known  as  "the  road  from  the  meeting  house  to  the  college,"  followed 
au  existing  road  as  far  as  Joseph  Hatch's  (Messenger  house),  thence 
ran  183  rods  on  the  present  main  street  of  the  village  to  a  ledge  just 
north  of  the  upper  schoolhouse,  on  a  course  one  degree  west  of  due 
liOrth  by  the  compass;  and  thence  on  to  the  meeting  house  much  as  the 
rv»ad  now  runs.  The  distance  by  the  survey  from  Captain  Hatch's 
dwelling  house  to  the  meeting  house  was  582  rods  or  1.82  miles,  iicarly. 
This  highway  was  continued  through  the  town  to  Thetford  line  the 


8  HISTORY    OF   NORWICli 

same  year,  on  about  the  site  of  the  present  road  to  Union  Village, 
entering  Thetford  "i/4  ^il®  N.  E.  of  John  Eogers'  house,  and  about 
six  rods  from  Umpompanoosuc  river." 

From  the  meeting  house  as  a  center,  roads  were  projected  during 
the  years  immediately  following  to  all  parts  of  the  to^^al.  Many  of 
these  were  at  first,  and  for  some  time  after  their  construction,  mere 
bridle  paths  or  cart  tracks,  which  just  sufficed  for  travelers  to  get 
thi-'ough  the  woods  on  horseback,  or  with  an  ox-cart  in  summer  and  a 
sled  in  winter. 

The  need  of  a  bridge  over  Ompompanoosuc  River  was  early  felt  by 
the  town.  At  the  annual  March  meeting  in  1771,  it  was  voted  to 
build  a  bridge  at  the  expense  of  the  town,  and  Captain  Hezekiah 
Johnson,  Daniel  Waterman,  and  Peter  Thatcher  were  chosen  a  com- 
mittee ' '  to  view  the  place  to  build  s<^  bridge  and  oversee  s<^  business. ' ' 
The  location  of  this  bridge,  if  ever  built,  is  somewhat  uncertain.  No 
further  reference  to  it  is  to  be  found  on  the  town  records  for  more 
than  ten  years,  when  (March,  1782)  it  was  again  voted  in  town  meeting, 
"to  build  a  bridge  at  some  convenient  place  as  the  situation  will  ad- 
mit near  Hezekiah  Johnson's" — the  site  of  the  present  lower  bridge 
across  Pompa  River.  It  was  also  voted  "to  build  s^  bridge  the  present 
year, ' '  and  a  land  tax  of  one  penny  per  acre  on  all  lands  in  town  voted 
"to  defray  the  expense."  Deacon  John  Slafter,  Daniel  Waterman, 
Jr.,  and  Captain  Timothy  Bush  were  made  a  committee  "to  effect  the 
building  of  s^  bridge."  This  second  bridge  seems  also  to  have  disap- 
peared not  long  after,  as  the  town  again  voted,  in  April,  1787,  "to 
build  a  bridge  over  Ompompanoosuc  river  near  the  mouth,  opposite 
Capt.  Johnson's."  A  tax  for  this  purpose  had  been  granted  by  the 
Vermont  Assembly  the  October  previous,  and  the  expense  of  construc- 
tion was  probably  shared  with  adjoining  towns.  A  fuller  account 
of  the  building  of  important  roads  and  bridges  in  town,  with  special 
reference  to  the  several  bridges  on  the  Connecticut,  connecting  Nor- 
wich and  Hanover,  will  be  attempted  further  On  in  this  sketch.  Matters 
of  more  general  concern  and  wider  interest  will  now  claim  our  atten- 
tion for  a  time. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  Norwich  virtually  had  its  origin  in  the 
colony  of  Connecticut  in  the  year  1761. 


I 

2 

3 
4 

6 
7 

7  1-2 

8 

8  1-2 

9 

10 


Blacksmith  shop  erected  by  Elihu  Emerson 

Formerly  store  building,  now  E.  W.  Olds'  residence 

Formerly  residence  of  Elihu  Emerson,  now  Wm.  Bicknell's 

H.  Lary's  residence,  built  by  Joseph  Emerson  for  a  shop 

Mrs.  C.  P.  Newton's  residence,  originally  Joseph  Emerson's 

Miss  M.  J.  Davis'  residence, originally  a  store  building 

Sawyer's  harness  shop,  removed 

C.  E.  Ensworth's  residence,  formerly  Judge  A.  Loveland's 

Mrs.  Wheelock's  school  building,  removed 

H.  Russ'  residence,  formerly  Union  Store,  etc. 

Mrs.  S.  H.  Currier's  residence,  formerly  Capt.  Aaron  Partridge's 

Mrs.  S.  P.  Benham,  previously  Gen.  Ransom,  earlier  Judge  Thomas  Emerson 


MAIN  STREET.  NORWICH  VILLAGE,  YEARS  SINCE 


MEETING    OF    PROPRIETORS    OF    NORWICH  9 

On  the  26th  day  of  August  of  that  year,  at  the  house  of  William 
Waterman,  inn-holder,  in  the  town  of  Mansfield,  in  said  colony,  were 
convened  the  proprietors  or  grantees  of  a  newly  granted  township 
of  land  situated  150  miles  away  to  the  northward,  in  a  wilderness 
country  then  just  beginning  to  be  known  as  the  ''New  Hampshire 
Grants. ' ' 

These  men  were  assembled  to  decide  upon  the  first  steps  to  be  taken 
to  open  up  to  settlement  and  improvement  a  tract  of  forest  six  miles 
square  located  on  the  west  bank  of  Connecticut  River  forty  miles 
north  of  Charlestown  (Number  Four),  then  the  farthest  outpost  ol 
civilization  in  the  upper  valley  of  that  river. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  all  that  portion  of  the  present 
state  of  New  Hampshire  lying  west  of  the  intervales  of  the  Merrimac 
in  the  vicinity  of  Concord  was  entirely  uninhabited,  and  lay  in  the 
primitive  wildness  of  nature.  A  few  townships  along  that  river  above 
Concord  had  been  surveyed  and  located,  and  thither  a  few  resolute 
pioneers  had  already  penetrated — among  them  Captain  Ebenezar  Web- 
ster, the  father  of  the  future  expounder  of  the  Constitution,  whose 
cabin  was  at  one  time,  it  is  said,  nearer  the  north  star  than  that  of 
any  other  New  Engiander.  But  beyond  a  narrow  fringe  of  settle- 
ments along  the  Merrimac,  the  whole  of  western  New  Hampshire  north 
of  Keene  was  alike  covered  by  primitive  forests  and  untouched  by  the 
hand  of  man.  To  the  westward  of  the  Connecticut,  as  far  as  the  mili- 
tary posts  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  on  Lake  Champlain,  and 
northward  to  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  lay  one  unbroken,  track- 
less wilderness,  unoccupied  by  a  human  habitation  and  traversed  only 
by  a  few  roving  bands  of  Canadian  Indians  or  by  an  occasional  hunt- 
ing party  of  white  men  from  the  older  settlements  of  New  England. 

It  was  into  surroundings  such  as  these  that  the  founders  of  Norwich 
thought  to  plant  a  town.  ]\Iany  conditions  of  the  time,  however,  were 
favorable  for  leading  out  new  colonies  from  the  ever  prolific  New 
England  hive.  The  long  French  and  Indian  War  had  finally  ended 
in  the  complete  conquest  of  Canada  in  the  preceding  year.  Peace 
had  now  come,  bringing  security  to  the  border  settlements,  harassed 
and  terrorized  by  fear  of  hostile  incursions  from  Canada  for  a  long 
time.  For  nearly  a  generation  the  older  settled  districts  of  the  New 
England  colonies  had  extended  their  borders,  but  slowly  and  painfully, 


10  MISTORY    OF   NORWiCIt 

into  the  surrounding  wilderness.  With  the  reduction  of  Canada  to 
English  rule  in  1760,  a  repressed  and  redundant  population  hastened 
to  overflow  existing  bounds,  and  the  instinct  for  emigration,  always 
strong  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  blood,  became  irrepressible  for  expansion 
into  new  lands. 

It  was  to  prepare  the  way  for  such  a  migration  that  the  proprietors 
of  Norwich  were  assembled  at  the  Waterman  tavern  in  Mansfield,  on 
the  26th  of  August,  1761,  as  we  have  already  seen.  They  had  re- 
ceived their  charter  on  the  fourth  day  of  the  preceding  July,  from 
the  hand  of  Benning  Wentworth,  the  royal  governor  of  the  Province 
of  New  Hampshire,  within  whose  territory  the  new  township  was 
understood  to  lie.  The  neighboring  towns  of  Hartford  on  the  south 
and  Hanover  and  Lebanon  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Connecticut  River, 
received  their  charters  from  Governor  AVentworth  on  the  same  day 
with  Norwich,  and  the  proprietors  of  those  towns  met  at  the  same 
time  (Aug.  26,  1761)  to  arrange  the  business  of  preparation  for  tiie 
settlement  of  their  respective  locations*. 

Like  the  proprietors  of  Norwich,  they  were  mostly  residents  of  a 
siaall  district  of  country  lying  along  the  Thames  and  its  affluents, 
ti  e  Shetucket  and  Willi mantic  Rivers  in  Eastern  Connecticut.  It  ap- 
pears that  early  in  the  year  1761  a  petition  had  been  circulated  in  that 
part  of  Connecticut  and  extensively  signed,  asking  His  Excellency  the 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire  for  a  grant  of  four  townships  of  land, 
'•at  a  place  known  as  Cohorse"  (Coos),  meaning  the  Lower  Oxbow 
ol  the  Connecticut  River  where  the  towns  of  Newbury  and  Bradford, 
Yt.,  and  Haverhill  and  Piermont,  N.  H.,  now  are,  a  locality  even  then 
knowTi  to  be  desirable  to  the  settler  as  having  the  advantage  of  con- 
taining a  strip  of  cleared  intervale  along  the  river,  which  had  pre- 
^"'<>usly  been  occupied  and  cultivated — in  the  Indian  fashion — by  a 
suiall  body  of  Indians  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe.  Colonel  Edmund 
F  reeman  and  Joseph  Storrs  of  Mansfield  were  the  agents  of  the  syndi- 
cate to  carry  the  petition  to  Portsmouth,  then  the  seat  of  the  pro- 
vincial government  of  New  Hampshire.  Unsuccessful  for  some  reason 
ill  securing  the  coveted  location  "at  the  Cohorse,"  they  succeeded  in 
obtaining  charters  for  four  townships  some  twenty-five  miles  further 
sodth,   adjacent  to  each  other  and  lying  on  opposite  sides  of  Con- 

*The  Hartford  proprietors  met  at  Windham  and  the  Lebanon  at  Charlestown. 


MEETING   OF   PROPRIETORS    OF   NORWICH  11 

necticut  River.  The  close  associations  of  these  four  towns,  at  the  very 
beginning"  of  their  municipal  life,  was  maintained  for  more  than 
tAvent}^  years  afterwards,  and  should  l)e  borne  in  mind  by  the  reader, 
as  it  serves  to  explain  some  interesting  events  in  their  subsequent 
history. 

The  proprietors  of  Norwich  organized  at  jMansfield,  as  we  have  seen, 
on  the  day  provided  in  their  charter.  The  terms  and  conditions  of 
this  document  were  the  same  with  those  of  other  Vermont  towns  char- 
tered b}^  Governor  Wentworth.  Among  the  most  important  of  these 
conditions  was  the  stipulation,  that  each  proprietor  or  grantee  should, 
within  the  term  of  five  years,  plant  and  cultivate  five  acres  of  land  for 
each  fifty  acres  contained  in  his  share  or  proportion  of  land  in 
said  township,  and  continue  to  improve  and  settle  the  same,  on  penalty 
of  forfeiture  of  his  interest  in  the  township  lands.  The  usual  reser- 
vations were  made  in  the  charter  for  educational  and  religious  pur- 
poses, viz.:  one  share  for  the  benefit  of  a  school  in  town,  one  share  for 
the  first  settled  minister,  one  for  a  glebe  for  the  Church  of  England, 
and  one  for  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts,  His  Excellency  the  Governor  not  forgetting  to  reserve  for  him- 
self the  customary  500  acres  or  two  shares,  as  was  his  invariable  rule  in 
granting  each  new  township.  This  500  acres,  in  the  case  of  Norwich, 
was  located  in  a  body  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  town  and  includes 
some  of  the  best  farming  land  in  town. 


'NORWHICH. 


'Province  of  New  Hampshire 


i  i 


George  the  Third  by  the  Grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France 
and  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  etc. 

To  all  Persons  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come,  greating — Know 
ye,  that  We  of  onr  special  grace,  certain  knowledge  and  mere  motion, 
for  the  due  encouragement  of  settling  a  new  plantation  within  our 
said  Province,  by  and  with  the  advice  of  our  trusty  and  well-beloved 
Penning  Wentworth,  Esq.,  our  Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of 
our  said  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  in  New  England,  and  of  our 
council  of  said  Province,  have  upon  the  conditions  and  reservations 
hereinafter  made,  given  and  granted,  and  by  these  presents,  for  us,  our 
heirs  and  successors,  do  give  and  grant  in  equal  shares,  unto  our  loving 
subjects,  inhabitants  of  our  said  Province  of  New  Hampshire  and  our 
other  Governments,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  whose  names 
are  entered  in  this  Grant,  to  be  divided  to  and  amongst  them  into 
sixty  nine  equal  shares,  all  that  tract  or  parcel  of  land  situate,  lying 
and  being  within  our  said  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  containing  by 
admeasurement,  twenty  three  thousand  acres,  which  tract  is  to  contain 
six  miles  square,  and  no  more,  out  of  which  an  allowance  is  to  be  made 
for  highways  and  unimproveable  lands  by  rocks,  ponds,  mountains 
and  rivers,  one  thousand  and  forty  acres  free,  according  to  a  plan  and 
survey  thereof,  made  by  our  said  Governor's  order,  returned  into  the 
Secretary's  office,  and  hereunto  annexed,  butted  and  bounded  as  fol- 
lows, viz :  — 

"  Beginning  at  a  Hemlock  tree  marked  with  the  figures  5  and  six  that  stand  on  the 
bank  of  the  Connecticut  river  just  at  the  head  of  White  River  falls  and  is  opposite  to  the 
North-west  corner  of  Lebanon,  from  thence  North  Sixty  Degrees  West  six  miles,  from 
thence  North  forty-five  degrees  East  six  miles,  from  thence  South  Sixty  degrees  East 
seven  miles  to  an  elm  tree  marked  with  the  figures  6  &  7,  from  thence  down  the  river  to 
the  first  bounds  mentioned. 


CHARTER    OF    NORWICH  1 3 


( ( 


And  that  the  same  be  and  hereby  is  incorporated  into  a  Town- 
ship by  the  name  of  Norivhich.  That  the  inhabitants  that  do  or  shall 
hereafter  inhabit  the  said  Township,  are  hereby,  declared  to  be  en- 
franchised with  and  entitled  to  all  and  every  the  privileges  and  im- 
munities that  other  towns  within  our  Province  by  law  exercise  and 
enjoy :  And  further,  that  the  said  town  as  soon  as  there  shall  be 
fifty  families  resident  and  settled  thereon,  shall  have  the  liberty  of 

holding  two  Fairs,  one  of  which  shall  be  on  the and  the  other 

on  the annually,  which  Fairs  are  not  to  continue  longer  than 

the  respective  following  the  said  and  that  as  soon  as 

the  said  town  shall  consist  of  fifty  families,  a  market  may  be  opened 
and  kept  one  or  more  days  in  each  week,  as  may  be  thought  most  ad- 
vantageous to  the  inhabitants.  Also,  that  the  first  meeting  for  the 
choice  of  Town  officers,  agreeable  to  the  laws  of  our  said  Province, 
shall  be  held  on  the  last  Wrdnesdai/  of  August  next  which  said  meet- 
ing shall  be  notified  by  Mr.  Eleazer  Wales  who  is  hereby  also  appointed 
the  ]\Ioderator  of  the  said  meeting,  which  he  is  to  notify  and  govern 
agreeably  to  the  laws  and  customs  of  said  Province  and  the  annual 
meeting  for  ever  hereafter  for  the  choice  of  such  officers  for  the  said 
Town  shall  be  on  the  Second  Tuesday  of  March  annually,  to  Have  and 
to  Hold  the  said  tract  of  land  as  above  expressed,  together  with  all 
privileges  and  appertenances,  to  them  and  their  respective  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  upon  the  follomng  conditions,  viz — 

' '  1st,  That  every  Grantee,  his  heirs  and  assigns  shall  plant  and  culti- 
vate five  acres  of  land  within  the  term  of  five  years  for  every  fifty 
acres  contained  in  his  or  their  share  or  proportion  of  land  in  said 
Township,  and  continue  to  improve  and  settle  the  same  by  additional 
cultivation,  on  penalty  of  the  forfeiture  of  his  grant  or  share  in  the 
said  Township,  and  of  its  reverting  to  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  to 
be  by  us  or  them  regranted  to  such  of  our  subjects  as  shall  effectually 
settle  and  cultivate  the  same. 

"2d,  That  all  white  and  other  pine  trees  wdthin  the  said  Town- 
ship, fit  for  masting  our  Royal  Navy,  be  carefully  preserved  for  that 
use,  and  none  to  be  cut  or  felled  without  our  special  licence  for  so 
doing  first  had  and  obtained,  upon  the  penalty  of  the  forfeiture  of 
the  right  of  such  grantee,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  to  us,  our  heirs  and 


14  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

successors  as  well  as  being  subject  to  the  penalty  of  any  act  or  acts 
of  parliament  that  now  are  or  hereafter  shall  be  enacted. 

"3.  That  before  any  division  of  the  land  be  made  to  and  among  the 
Grantees,  a  tract  of  land  as  near  the  centre  of  the  said  Township  as  the 
land  will  admit  of,  shall  be  reserved  and  marked  out  for  Town  Lots, 
one  of  which  shall  be  allotted  to  each  Grantee  of  the  contents  of  one 
acre. 

'•4.  Yielding  and  paying  therefor  to  us,  our  heirs  and  successors 
for  the  .space  of  ten  years,  to  be  computed  from  the  date  hereof,  the 
rent  of  one  ear  of  Indian  corn  only,  on  the  twenty  fiftJi  day  of  De- 
cember annually,  if  lawfully  demanded,  the  first  payment  to  be  made 
on  the  25*11  of  Dec^'  1762. 

''5.  Every  proprietor,  settler  or  inhabitant,  shall  yield  and  pay 
unto  us,  our  heirs  and  successors  yearly,  and  every  year  forever,  from 
and  after  the  expiration  of  ten  years,  from  the  above-said  twenty 
fifth  day  of  December  namely,  on  the  twenty  fifth  day  of  December 
which  will  be  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1772 — one  shilling  proclamation 
money  for  every  one  hundred  acres  he  so  owns,  settles  or  possesses, 
and  so  in  proportion  for  a  greater  or  lesser  tract  of  the  said  land : 
which  money  shall  be  paid  by  the  respective  persons  above-said,  their 
heirs  or  assigns,  in  our  Council  Chamber  in  Portsmouth,  o'r  to  such 
Officer  or  Officers  as  shall  be  appointed  to  receive  the  same;  and  this 
to  be  in  lieu  of  all  other  rents  and  services  whatever. 

''In  Testimony  whereof.  We  have  caused  the  Seal  of  our  Said  Prov- 
ince to  be  hereunto  affixed. 

"Witness  Benning  WentwortJi,  Esq.  our  Governor  and  Commander 
in  Chief  of  our  said  Province  the  fourth  day  of  July  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  Christ,  One  Thousand,  Seven  Hundred  and  Sixty  one  and  in 
the  First  vear  of  our  Reign. 
"By  his  Excellency's  command,  B.  Wentw^orth. 

"With  advice  of  Council, 
^'Theodore  Atkinson,  Secy. 

"Province  of  New^  Hamp^'^  July  5,  1761 
"Recorded  according  the  original 
"Charter  under  the  Province  Seal. 
"Attest^  Theodore  Atkinson,  Sec." 


CHARTER    OF    NORWICH 


IS 


"The  Names  of  the  Grantees  of  Norwhich." 


Eleazr  Wales 
Daniel  Welch 
Abner  Barker 
Ebenezr  Wales 
Ebenezr  Heath 
William  Johnson  763^ 
Gideon  Noble 
James  West 
Daniel  Baldwin 
Calvin  Topliff 
Samuel  Johnson 
Elisha  Wales 
Seth  Wales 
Amos  Fellows 
Jedidiah  Printon 
John  Fowler 
Nathan  Strong 
Robert  Turner 
William  Johnson 
Samuel  Root 
Solomon  Wales 
Joseph  Blanchard 
Josiah  Root 
Adoniram  Grant 
George  Swain 
Samuel  Root  junr 
Benja  Jennings 
Moses  Holmes 
Benja  Sheapard 
Elisha  Carpenter 
Lemuel  Holmes 
Abner  Barker  Jr. 


Nathall  Harriman 

Samuel  Long 

Ebenezr  Smith 

John  Johnson 

Thomas  Welch 

Joseph  Storrs 

Samuel  Cobb 

Judah  Heath 

James  Russell 

Hezekiah  Johnson 

Jonathan  Hatch 

Samuel  Slafter 

Benja  Wliitney 

James  Bicknall 

Jacob  Fenton 

Moses  Barnard 

Aleazr  West 

Andrew  Crocker 

Eliphas  Hunt 

Stephen  Palmer 

Eleazr  Warner 

Abijah  Learned 

The  Hon.  Theod^  Atkinson  Esq. 

Richard  Wilbird  Esq. 

Henry  Sherburne  Esq. 

Mr.  Andrew  Clarkson 

Clement  March  Esq. 

John  Shackford 

Mesheck  Weare  Esq. 

Rev.  Mr.  Samuel  Havem 

&  Peter  Gilman  Esq. 


i  i 


One  whole  share  for  the  Society  for  propagating  the  Gospel  in 
foreign  parts.  One  whole  share  for  a  Glebe  for  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  by  law  established,  one  share  for  the  first  settled  IMinister. 
One  share  for  the  benefit  of  a  school  in  said  Town.  His  Excellency 
Benning  Wentworth  Esq.  five  hundred  acres  to  be  laid  as  marked  in 
plan  B.  W.  and  is  to  be  accounted  two  of  the  within  shares. 

Province  of  New  Hampshire  July  5^^^  1761.     Recorded  from  the 


i  i 


l6  HISTORY   OF    NORWICH 


back  of  t^e  original  Charter  of  Norwhich  under  the  Province  Seal. 

' '  Attest''  Theodore  Atkinson,  Sec^ ' ' 

The  larger  part  of  the  above  are  names  of  Connecticut  men  then 
resident  in  Mansfield  and  neighboring  towns.  Captain  Hezekiah 
Johnson,  Samuel  Slafter,  Joseph  Storrs,  and  William  Johnson  3rd,  are 
known  to  have  lived  in  Mansfield;  Amos  Fellows,  James  West,  Adon- 
iram  Grant,  and  Samuel  Cobb  were  of  Tolland ;  Ebenezar  Heath,  Cap- 
tain Abner  Barker  and  William  Johnson  of  Willington — towns  ad- 
jacent to  Mansfield  on  the  north.  The  last  nine  names  are  those  of 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  men — several  of  them  members  of 
the  provincial  government  in  the  former  province.  Major  Joseph 
Blanchard  was  of  Dunstable,  Mass.  He  had  executed  in  1760,  by 
direction  of  Governor  Wentworth,  the  first  survey  of  the  townships 
lying  along  the  river  from  Charlestown  to  Newbury.  His  name  ap- 
pears as  proprietor  in  many  town  charters  about  this  time.  But  few 
of  the  original  grantees  ever  came  personally  to  Norwich  to  settle. 

Many  of  them,  it  is  probable,  were  people  of  considerable  property, 
well  advanced  in  life,  whose  years  unfitted  them  to  endure  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneers  in  a  new  settlement.  Such  would  naturally  transfer 
their  rights  to  their  sons,  or  to  the  young  and  enterprising  among  their 
friends  and  neighbors.  This  is  known  to  have  been  the  case  in  several 
instances.  But  Jacob  Fenton  and  Ebenezar  Smith,  both  proprietors, 
were  here  in  1763.  The  former  died  on  the  15th  of  July  of  that  year, 
and  was  thus  the  first  white  man  known  to  have  died  within  the  town- 
ship. Captain  Hezekiah  Johnson  emigrated  to  the  town  very  early 
and  settled  near  the  mouth  of  Ompompanoosuc  River.  He  was  long 
a  leading  citizen,  prominent  in  tow^n  affairs. 

Calvin  Johnson,  son  of  Captain  William  Johnson  of  Willington,  one 
of  the  original  proprietors,  removed  to  Norwich  in  1780,  after  a  ser- 
vice of  nearly  two  years  in  the  Revolutionary  Army,  and  occupied  100 
acres  of  land  given  him  by  his  father.  Five  of  the  original  grantees 
bear  the  name  of  Johnson — a  family  that  has  always  been  numerous 
in  town.  The  name  of  Daniel  Baldwin  appears  early  on  the  town 
records,  presumably  the  same  person  w^hose  name  is  found  in  the 
charter.  Samuel  Slafter  conveyed  his  right  to  his  son,  John  Slafter, 
who  accompanied  Smith  and  Fenton  to  the  new  township  in  1763— 


FURTHER    MEETINGS    OF    THE    PROPRIETORS  V/ 

well  known  afterwards  as  Deacon  John  Slafter,  the  pioneer  settler  of 
the  town.  Several  other  family  names  upon  the  list  of  grantees  are 
still  represented  in  considerable  numbers  amon<i"  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  but  whether  these  latter  trace  their  lineage  to  the  former  is  not 
known  to  the  writer. 

Space  permits  us  only  to  glance  at  some  of  the  most  important  steps 
taken  by  the  proprietors  of  Norwich  in  forwarding  the  speedy  settle- 
ment of  the  town.  One  essential  preliminary  to  settlement  was,  of 
course,  some  regular  division  of  the  land  into  lots.  The  careful  and 
accurate  surveys  that  the  United  States  Government  now  makes  of 
all  the  public  lands  before  they  are  offered  for  sale  or  settlement  to 
actual  settlers,  were  unknown  to  that  time.  The  customary  plan  for 
opening  up  new  lands  to  settlement  at  that  day  was  by  granting  the 
soil  to  a  body  of  proprietors  under  a  charter.  Virginia,  Massachu- 
setts, and  most  of  the  English  colonies  in  America,  as  the  reader  will 
remember,  were  founded  and  settled  by  a  chartered  land  company,  the 
charter  conferring  also  upon  the  future  inhabitants  certain  political 
and  corporate  rights.  The  New  Hampshire  town  charters  appear  to 
have  been  formed  after  the  same  model.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the 
proprietors  at  IMansfield,  as  above  stated,  a  committee  of  five  of  their 
number  was  chosen  to  make  a  partial  survey  and  allotment  of  lands 
in  the  new  township.  In  the  succeeding  year  (1762)  a  surveying 
party  came  on  and  that  part  of  the  town  adjacent  to  Connecticut  River 
was  laid  off  into  lots.  In  this  first  division,  one  lot  of  100  acres  was 
assigned  to  each  proprietor,  besides  an  equal  share  of  the  intervale 
land  lying  on  the  river,  as  had  previously  been  determined  . 

The  same  year  the  proprietors  voted  to  unite  with  the  proprietors 
of  the  other  townships  (Hartford,  Hanover,  and  Lebanon)  in  "clear- 
ing a  road  from  the  old  fort  in  Number  Four  (Charlestown)  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  as  far  up  said  river  as  a  committee  chosen  for 
that  purpose  may  think  proper."  This  vote  was  carried  into  eff'ect 
in  1763,  so  far  that  something  called  a  road  was  opened  as  far  north 
as  the  middle  of  the  town  of  Hanover,  and  thus  another  hindrance  to 
the  opening  up  of  the  region  to  settlement  was  removed. 

The  location  of  this  primitive  roadway  through  the  towns  of  Leb- 
anon and  Plainfield,  we  are  informed,  is  still  mainly  followed  by  the 
present  river  road  along  the  western  border  of  those  towns. 


l8  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  proprietors  held  in  November,  1762, 
their  committee  were  empowered  to  agree  "with  such  person  or  per- 
sons as  will  undertake  to  erect  a  mill  or  mills  on  the  mill  brook  (Blood 
Brook)  in  said  town  of  Norwich." 

Early  in  the  month  of  April,  1763,  the  proprietors,  holding  their 
meeting  again  at  William  Waterman's  in  Mansfield,  "in  order  to  en- 
courage the  speedy  and  effectual  settlement  of  the  town,"  it  was 
voted  "to  raise  £5  upon  each  proprietor's  right" — about  £1050  in  the 
aggregate — "to  be  divided  between  twenty-five  men  who  shall  im- 
mediately engage  to  settle  or  cause  to  be  settled  twenty-five  rights  in 
the  Tollowing  manner :  To  begin  upon  the  business  the  ensuing  summer, 
and  further  to  continue  to  settle  and  improve  at  the  rate  of  three 
acres  annually  for  the  space  of  five  years,  on  penalty  of  repaying  said 
money."  Permission  was  also  given  to  each  of  the  twenty-five  first 
settlers  to  choose  for  himself  a  one-hundred  acre  lot  of  upland,  pro- 
vided the  same  be  so  chosen  "as  not  to  incommode  any  future  division 
of  lands  in  said  town." 

The  requisite  number  of  twenty-five  men  not  appearing  ready  to 
undertake  the  work  of  settlement  upon  the  conditions  proposed,  at  a 
later  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  held  May  12th,  it  was  agreed  that  in 
case  "any  number  of  men  under  twenty-five  and  not  less  than  fifteen, 
shall  by  the  first  day  of  June  next  engage  in  the  manner  and  form  in 
which  the  said  twenty-five  men  were  to  engage,  they  shall  be  entitled 
to  the  money  in  said  vote. ' ' 

In  March,  1765,  a  committee  consisting  of  Jacob  Burton,  Hezekiah 
Johnson,  Samuel  Fenton,  John  Hatch  and  John  Slafter,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  proprietors  to  make  a  further  division  of  100-acre  Jots 
in  Norwich  and  to  "lay  out  roads  as  they  shall  think  best  for  con- 
venience of  settling  said  township."  Six  shillings  lawful  money  was 
voted  on  each  right  for  this  purpose  and  ' '  other  necessary  business  that 
shall  be  done  by  the  committee. ' ' 

This  committee — composed  of  men  at  that  time  on  the  point  of  be- 
coming actual  settlers — proceeded  in  the  following  June  to  re-survey 
and  lay  off  sixty-eight  river  lots,  one  to  every  proprietors 's  right,  each 
twenty-five  rods,  four  links  wide  and  160  rods  in  length  from  east  to 
west  along  the  banks  of  Connecticut  River.  Also,  eighty  100-acre 
lots  in  five  tiers  of  sixteen  lots  each,  lying  directly  west  of  the  lots  just 


LAST    MEETINGS    OF   THE     PROPRIETORS  I9 

named.  Between  the  second  and  third  tier  of  100-acre  lots,  a  highway, 
six  rods  wide,  was  located,  and  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  tiers  an 
eight-rod  highway,  for  the  whole  distance  of  five  miles  north  and  south. 
Land  was  also  left  between  every  second  lot  for  highways  running 
east  and  west  across  the  town.  This  seems  a  very  formal  and  arbitrary 
method  of  laying  out  roads  in  a  new  country,  but  it  was  perhaps  the 
best  that  could  be  done  under  the  circumstances.  Of  course,  in  a  rough 
country,  roads  were  never  actually  built  to  run  in  such  regular  checker- 
board fashion,  though  it  is  true  that  the  early  settlers  did  not  mind 
climbing  the  steepest  hills. 

Equally  impracticable  to  us  now  seems  the  survey  and  assignment 
of  a  one-acre  lot  to  each  proprietor,  as  a  town  or  village  lot,  as  re- 
quired by  the  charter  of  the  town,  to  be  located  "as  near  as  may  be 
to  the  geographical  center  of  the  town." 

Proprietors'  meetings  continued  to  be  held  at  William  AVaterman's 
in  iMansfield  till  1768,  when  the  first  meeting  was  convened  within  the 
limits  of  the  town  (July  28th)  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Burton.  At  this 
meeting  the  committee  mentioned  above  for  laying  out  lots  and  high- 
ways made  a  formal  report  of  their  doings,  which  were  approved,  and 
their  report  by  the  surveyor,  John  Hatch,  accepted  and  put  upon 
record.  This  report,  with  others  subsequently  made,  all  too  length}^  to 
be  inserted  here,  is  of  considerable  interest  to  land  owners  in  town,  and 
may  be  seen  at  the  to\\Ti  clerk's  office. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  of  which  any  record  has  been 
found,  was  held  at  Thomas  Murdoch's,  in  Norwich,  September  17, 
1770.  It  was  then  voted  "to  lay  out  into  lots  all  the  undivided  land  in 
s^  town,"  and  John  Hatch,  Captain  Hezekiah  Johnson,  ]\Ir.  Peter 
Thatcher,  Mr.  John  Slafter,  i\Ir.  John  AVright,  Mr.  Samuel  Partridge, 
and  ^Ir.  Samuel  Waterman  were  chosen  a  committee  for  that  purpose. 
It  was  also  voted  ' '  to  give  a  deed  to  Joseph  Hatch  and  Oliver  Babcock 
of  the  tenth  river  lot,  upon  the  condition  that  they  execute  a  bona  to 
the  proprietors'  committee  for  upholding  a  Grist  ]\Iill  where  said 
grist  mill  now  stands,  on  Blood  Brook;  that  Isaac  Fellows  shall  have 
the  privilege  of  pitching  thirt}^  proprietors'  rights  on  the  meadow 
above  the  clay  bank  on  Ompompanoosuc  River,  commonly  called  the 
middle  meadow,  containing  74  1-2  acres,  for  the  consideration  of 
building  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill  on  s^  river.    Also  that  John  Slafter 


20  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

shall  have  the  privilege  of  pitching  seven  rights  in  the  lower  meadow 
on  Ompompanoosnc  River,  Hezekiah  Johnson  six  rights,  Peter 
Thatcher  one  and  one-half  rights,  Daniel  Waterman  four  rights,  and 
James  Huntington  one  right  in  said  meadow,  as  a  consideration  for 
first  coming  into  the  town,  and  for  the  burden  of  first  settling  s^ 
town. ' ' 

We  have  been  thus  minute  in  transcribing  the  votes  and  action  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  town  during  the  initial  period  of  first  settlement, 
because  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  it  was  largely  due  to  their  liberal 
spirit  and  enterprising  policy  that  the  town  was  so  early  opened  to 
settlement,  and  its  growth  so  rapid  from  the  beginning.  Such  a 
I  olicy,  of  course,  was  as  wise  as  it  was  generous,  since  the  lands  re- 
maining unoccupied  were  appreciated  in  value  with  the  coming  in  of 
every  new  settler.  It  is  said  that  the  usual  fees  paid  by  the  grantees 
of  a  township  under  a  New  Hampshire  charter  were  about  $300,  which 
sum  was  in  addition  to  liberal  presents  made  to  the  governor,  in  many 
instances,  for  choice  locations.  One  historian  of  New  Hampshire  com- 
plains that  Governor  Wentworth  often  preferred  for  grantees  men  of 
other  colonies  to  those  of  his  own,  alleging  that  they  were  ' '  better  hus- 
bandmen and  more  liberal  donors. ' ' 

Very  considerable  advances,  as  we  have  seen,  were  required  of  the 
proprietors  in  surveying  a  township  into  lots,  opening  roads,  and  many 
other  expenses.  Allowing  the  town  to  contain  25,000  acres,  an  equal 
division  of  the  land  into  sixty-eight  shares  would  give  upwards  of 
three  hundred  acres  to  each  right,  after  allowance  for  highways,  etc. 

Expenditures  for  fees,  bounties  paid  to  first  settlers,  charges  for  sur- 
veys and  building  roads,  could  not  have  amounted  to  an  aggregate  of 
less  than  thirty-five  to  forty  dollars  to  each  proprietor,  up  to  the  time 
of  which  we  are  now  speaking. 


CHAPTER  II 


FIRST  SETTLEMENTS   IN  NORWICH 

Having  glanced  thus  briefly  at  the  action  of  the  proprietors  in 
opening  a  way  to  reach  their  new  township  in  the  wilderness,  and  in 
dividing  up  a  portion  of  its  surface  into  lots  suitable  to  become  the 
homesteads  of  future  settlers,  let  us  pause  a  moment  and  see  what  had 
meantime  been  done  in  the  work  of  actual  settlement. 

]  am  indebted  to  Rev.  Edmund  F.  Slafter  of  Boston  for  an  inter- 
esting account  of  what  was  unquestionably  the  first  attempt  at  settle- 
ment made  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  I  quote  from  the  Slafter 
Memorial : — 

"Samuel  Slafter  [of  Mansfield,  Ct.],  the  father  of  John  Slafter, 
being  an  original  proprietor,  and  being  at  the  first  meeting  chosen 
treasurer  of  the  corporation,  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  settlement  of 
the  town.  At  his  suggestion,  his  son  John  made  a  journey  through  the 
forests  of  New  Hampshire  in  1762,  to  examine  the  territory  and  re- 
port upon  the  advantages  it  might  offer  as  a  place  of  settlement.  He 
found  it  pleasantly  situated  on  the  western  banks  of  the  Connecticut, 
with  a  good  soil,  but  for  the  m.ost  part  of  an  uneven,  hilly  surface.  He 
reported  it  well  watered,  not  only  by  the  Connecticut  but  by  several 
small,  clear  streams,  and  by  one  more  important  one  called  the  Om- 
pompanoosuc,  an  Indian  name  signifying  'the  place  of  very  white 
stones,'  whose  waters  emptied  themselves  into  the  Connecticut  at  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  town.  As  he  was  inclined  to  engage  in  the 
settlement  of  the  new  town,  the  next  year  (June  7,  1763)  his  father 
transferred  to  him  as  'a  token  of  his  affection,'  all  his  rights  as  pro- 
prietor of  Norwich.  He  immediately  set  out  for  the  new  scene  of  his 
labors,  in  company  with  Mr.  Jacob  Fenton,  his  maternal  uncle,  and 
Mr.  Ebenezar  Smith,  both  of  them  original  proprietors.  They  took 
with  them  a  horse  and  such  implements  as  were  indispensable  in  be- 


22  HISTORY    OF  NORWICH 

ginning  a  settlement.  On  arriving  at  their  new  possessions,  they 
found  themselves  alone  in  an  unbroken  forest,  w^here  the  echo  of  the 
Avoodsman's  axe  had  perhaps  never  yet  been  heard.  He  first  com- 
menced to  fell  the  trees  on  the  river  lot  No.  17,  which  had  been  assigned 
to  his  father's  right,  in  the  di\dsion  of  the  proprietors,  which  was  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  north  from  the  southern  boundary  of  the  town. 
This  lot,  unlike  most  others,  proved  to  be  a  high,  rocky  elevation,  reach- 
ing to  the  very  shore  of  the  river,  difficult  of  cultivation,  unsuitable 
as  a  homestead,  and  was  immediately  abandoned.  A  permanent  settle- 
ment was  fixed  upon  further  up  the  river,  opposite  the  farm  of  Mr. 
Timothy  Smith  in  Hanover,  about  four  miles  north  of  the  present 
seat  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  vrhere  the  well  known  rope  ferry  was 
for  many  3^ears  maintained.  Here  the  first  clearing  was  commenced, 
and  the  first  human  habitation  in  the  town  was  constructed.  The  sum- 
mer was  passed  in  felling  the  forest,  in  burning  the  wood,  and  pre- 
paring the  soil  for  future  cultivation.  In  the  autumn,  when  the  cold 
season  approached,  and  nothing  more  could  be  accomplished,  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Connecticut,— and  this  was  repeated  four  sum- 
mers, until  he  married  and  brought  his  young  wife  to  his  forest 
home. ' ' 

An  incident  occurred  during  the  first  summer,  worthy  of  record  in 
itself,  and  important  in  fixing  the  date  of  the  first  settlement  of  the 
town.  On  Wednesday,  the  13^^  of  July,  Messrs.  Slafter,  Fenton,  and 
Smith  left  their  home  to  lend  their  services  for  a  few  days  to  some 
friends  who  were  making  a  settlement  at  Lebanon,  six  or  eight  miles 
below.  Recent  rains  had  swollen  the  Connecticut,  and  Mr.  Fenton 's 
horse  in  crossing  was  compelled  to  swim  a  short  distance  in  the  deepest 
part  of  the  river,  which  was  near  the  shore  to  which  he  was  approach- 
ing. The  horse  was  carried  down  the  current,  and  passed  under  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  which  had  fallen  into  the  river,  the  roots  still  clinging 
to  the  shore.  In  passing  under  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  while  leaning 
forward  to  avoid  being  carried  from  his  seat,  his  horse  rising  at  the 
instant,  forced  him  with  great  violence  upon  the  pommel  of  the  saddle, 
causing  a  serious  injury  of  the  chest.  It  was  soon  found  necessary 
for  Mr.  Fenton  to  return,  and  Mr.  Smith  and  a  young  Mr.  Hovey 
who  had  joined  them,  accompanied  him  to  his  camp  in  Norwich.  They 
remained  with  him,  doing  what  they  could  for  him,  but  the  injury 


EXPERIENCES  OF   EARLY   SETTLERS  23 

proved  so  serious  that  he  died  on  Friday  of  the  same  week.  On  Sat- 
urday the  two  young  men  proceeded  down  the  river  on  the  Vermont 
side,  and  by  hallooing  and  discharging  their  muskets,  endeavored  to 
attract  the  attention  of  their  friends  at  Lebanon,  and  thus  communi- 
cate with  Mr.  Slafter,  but  in  this  they  were  unsuccessful.  However, 
on  regaining  the  camp  before  nightfall,  they  found  that  Mr.  Slafter 
had  already  returned,  and  had  been  apprised  of  the  sad  and  unex- 
pected event  of  his  uncle's  death.  On  Sunday  morning,  assisted  by. 
his  companions,  he  proceeded  to  make  preparation  for  the  burial.  They 
peeled  the  bark  from  a  basswood  of  suitable  size,  and  with  reverent 
heads  and  sorrowing  hearts  placed  their  companion  within  its  pure, 
white  surface,  closing  it  up  and  making  it  fast  with  thongs  twisted 
from  the  tough  bark  of  the  young  elm.  On  the  bank  of  the  Connecticut, 
near  to  its  quiet  waters,  they  placed  him  in  the  clean  earth  to  await 
the  resurrection  day.  A  monument  of  stone  was  erected,  and  an  in- 
scription placed  upon  it  by  Mr.  Slafter.  This  monument  remained 
in  its  place  about  eighty  years.*  At  length  it  became  broken  and 
somewhat  defaced.  A  portion  of  it,  however,  is  still  preserved,  and  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  grandchildren  of  Mr.  Slafter. 

The  date  of  1763  is  so  far  preserved  as  to  be  clearly  identified.  The 
1  is  complete,  the  upper  part  of  the  7  is  gone,  so  is  likewise  the  per- 
pendicular part  of  the  6,  but  the  3  is  as  distinct  as  when  it  was  first 
chiseled  upon  the  stone.  This  monument  still  bears  testimony  to  the 
year  in  which  this  death  occurred.  But  if  this  evidence  were  wanting, 
there  is  yet  another  record  made  at  the  time,  which  establishes  the  date 
of  this  occurrence  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt.  In  the  book  of 
records  of  births  and  deaths  in  the  town  of  Mansfield,  Conn.,  is  the 
following  entry: — "Mr.  Jacob  Fenton  of  Mansfield,  departed  this  life 
at  Norwich,  in  New  Hampshire,  on  ye  15*^  day  of  July  A.  D.  1763" 

"Mr.  Slafter  was  married  at  Mansfield,  Ct.,  in  the  spring  of  1767, 
and  a  month  later  departed  with  his  young  wife  to  his  home  in  the 
New  Hampshire  Grants.  A  journey  from  Connecticut,  with  a  family, 
was  at  that  time  an  undertaking  of  no  small  moment.  The  distance 
was  150  miles,  mostly  through  the  primitive  forest,  and  the  road,  for 
fifty  miles  at  least,  was  scarcely  passable   except   for   footmen  and 

*The  site  of  this  monument  was  in  the  meadow. 


2.4  HISTORY   OF  NORWICH 

pack-horses.  Several  families  from  the  same  neighborhood  were  at 
this  time  emigrating  to  the  Coos  Country,  and  they  accordingly  joined 
together  and  'made  up  a  pleasant  party.'  It  was  decided  to  navigate 
the  Connecticut  rather  than  to  encounter  the  difficulties  of  an  over- 
land route.  Having  provided  themselves  with  log  canoes,  they  em- 
barked with  their  'goods,'  probably  at  Windsor,  Conn.  They  left 
Mansfield  on  Thursday,  the  23rd  of  April,  and  arrived  at  their  home 
in  Norwich  on  the  10th  of  ]\Iay.  Against  the  current  of  the  river, 
which  was  very  strong  at  that  period  of  the  year,  they  were  not  able 
to  make  more  than  eight  or  nine  miles  a  day.  In  several  places  in 
the  river  the  raj^ids,  or  falls,  could  not  be  passed,  and  they  were  ob- 
liged to  unship  their  goods  and  carry  them  and  their  boats  around, 
and  reload,  before  they  could  pursue  their  journey.  It  was,  as  we  may 
well  imagine,  a  joyful  moment  when  they  arrived  at  their  destination, 
and  were  at  home  in  their  rude  habitations.  These  were  the  same  as 
had  served  during  the  preceding  summers.  But  preparations*  had 
already  been  made,  and  before  the  frosts  of  winter  approached,  Mr. 
Slafter  had  built,  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  a  comfortable  and 
substantial  dwelling.  As  mills  for  sawing  lumber  had  not  then  been 
erected  within  practical  distance,  the  material  was  fashioned  by  the 
axe,  without  the  use  of  plane  or  jointer.  Small  trees,  of  not  more 
than  a  foot  in  diameter,  were  carefully  hcAved,  halved  together  at  the 
intersections,  and  placed  upon  a  foundation,  and  tier  upon  tier  added, 
until  a  suitable  height  had  been  attained  for  receiving  the  roof.  This 
was  formed  by  placing  upon  proper  rafters,  bound  together  at  fre- 
quent intervals  by  ribs  or  small  beams,  the  thick,  impervious  bark 
of  the  hemlock  and  other  trees.  In  this  way  a  covering  was  made, 
giving  complete  protection  from  the  rains  of  summer  and  snows  of 
winter.  The  floors  were  formed  of  plank,  hewed  and  fitted  with  the 
axe  alone.  Their  furniture  was  of  the  modest  kind.  Their  tables  and 
chairs  were  puncheons  of  basswood,  a  split  log  having  its  faces  a  little 
smoothed  with  an  axe,  with  legs  inserted  of  suitable  length.  Such  was 
the  rude  abode  of  the  pioneer." 

The  Genealogy  of  the  Mann  Family  contains  an  account  of  a  wed- 
ding trip  made  by  John  Mann  and  wife  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  who  emi- 
grated to  Orford,  N.  II.,  in  the  fall  of  1765,  which  illustrates  some 


EXPERIENCES    OF   EARLY    SETTLERS  2§ 

of  the  infelicities  of  a  journey  to  the  new  settlements,  by  the  pioneers 
who  took  the  land  route. 

Mr.  Mann  was  married  to  Lydia  Porter  in  October,  1765,  and  the 
same  month  set  out  with  his  young  bride  to  take  possession  of  a  lot 
in  Orford  given  him  by  his  father.  They  left  Hebron — a  few  miles 
to  the  southwest  of  Mansfield — October  16th,  on  horseback,  both  riding 
on  one  horse  as  far  as  Charlestown,  and  reached  Orford  October  24th, 
after  a  journey  of  nine  days,  exactly  one-half  the  time  occupied  by 
Mr.  Slafter  and  his  party,  by  way  of  the  river,  a  year  and  a  half  later. . 
Mr.  jMann's  route  lay  up  the  east  side  of  Connecticut  River.  At 
Charlestown  he  dismounted,  and  having  procured  a  bushel  of  oats 
for  his  horse  and  some  luncheon  for  himself  and  wife,  set  forward  into 
the  wilderness,  Mr.  ]\Iann  on  foot,  ^Irs.  ]Mann,  with  such  supply  of 
clothing  and  household  goods  as  they  had,  packed  upon  horseback. 
In  some  of  the  towns  along  the  way  there  were  two  or  three  families 
with  whom  they  stayed  at  night,  who  cordially  received  them  and 
welcomed  then  with  homely  fare.  Claremont  then  contained  two  fam- 
ilies, Cornish  one,  Plainfield  one,  Lebanon  three,  Hanover  one,  and 
Lyme  three.  Beyond  Charlestown  the  road  at  that  time  was  nothing 
but  a  crooked  bridle  path  obstructed  by  fallen  trees  and  with  no 
bridges  across  the  streams.  The  difficulty  of  passing  some  of  the 
larger  trees  that  lay  athwart  their  path  was  most  readily  surmounted 
by  urging  the  horse  into  a  brisk  pace,  and  thus  crossing  them  by  a 
flying  leap.  So  frequent  had  this  become  that  ere  long  the  wise  old 
steed,  realizing  the  situation,  no  longer  waited  for  a  hint,  but  soon  as 
ever  he  neared  such  an  obstacle  would  plunge  forward,  and  refusing 
all  control,  clear  it  with  a  bound.  In  one  instance  of  this  kind,  the 
poor  beast,  miscalculating  the  distance  or  failing  of  a  sure  foothold, 
was  thrown  at  full  length  to  the  earth,  scattering  his  living  and  other 
freight  upon  the  ground  in  a  fine  state  of  disorder.  Fortunately,  no 
serious  damage  was  sustained,  and  the  two  wayfarers  gathered  up 
their  effects  and  proceeded,  Mr.  Mann  the  remainder  of  the  journey 
keeping  ahead  of  the  horse,  where  he  might  be  in  a  situation  to  mod- 
erate the  spirit  of  the  animal  and  protect  his  precious  freight. 

About  the  same  time  and  by  the  same  route  traveled  by  Mr.  JMann, 
John  Hutchinson,  from  Ashford,  Conn.,  brought  his  wife  and  one  or 
two  small  children  into  Norwich,  in  the  autumn  of  1765.    ]\Ir.  Hutch- 


26  History  of  norwicM 

inson  brought  with  him  a  horse,  upon  which  rode  wife  and  babes,  some 
clothing,  bedding,  etc.,  and  also  another  necessary  animal  to  a  grow- 
ing family — a  cow.  A  log  canoe  conveyed  the  family  safely  across  the 
river  from  the  Hanover  side,  but  the  animals  were  compelled  to  swim, 
and  Jerome  Hutchinson,  the  oldest  child,  then  less  than  three  years 
of  age,  was  fond  of  relating  when  an  old  man  his  distinct  remem- 
brance of  the  appearance  presented  of  the  old  white-faced  cow  as  she 
struggled  bravel}^  to  keep  her  head  above  water  while  swimming  the 
•river.  Mr.  Hutchinson  had  not  brought  his  family  into  the  wilderness 
at  an  inclement  season  of  the  year  wdthout  making  some  provision  for 
their  support  during  the  winter.  Early  the  preceding  summer,  in  com- 
pany with  his  father,  Samuel  Hutchinson,  Sr.,  he  had  come  to  Nor- 
wich, and  thev  had  felled  the  trees  on  a  small  island  in  the  Con- 
necticut  opposite  the  farm  of  John  W.  Loveland,  which  trees  the 
spring  floods  subsequently  carried  into  the  stream.  This  island  they 
had  then  planted  to  corn,  with  seed  brought  from  Charlestown,  N.  H. 
The  first  planting  failed  by  reason  of  bad  seed,  and  John  returned  on 
foot  to  Charlestown  for  a  fresh  supply,  which  was  attended  with  suc- 
cess. When  the  growing  corn  no  longer  required  their  care,  they  both 
returned  to  Connecticut,  and  now  the  young  man,  accompanied  by  his 
family,  repaired  to  the  scene  of  his  previous  labors  in  time  to  secure 
the  crop  of  corn,  whatever  it  might  be,  and  to  make  such  arrange- 
ments as  were  practicable  for  a  permanent  home.  The  ensuing  win- 
ter they  passed  in  a  log  hut  erected  on  the  meadow  now  belonging  to 
E.  M.  Lewis,  and  not  far  from  the  western  end  of  the  present  bridge 
connecting  Norwich  and  Hanover.  This  hut  they  occupied  with  an- 
other family,  by  the  name  of  Messenger,  that  had  come  to  Norwich 
about  the  same  time  or  a  little  earlier  than  Mr.  Hutchinson,  and  these 
two  families  were  undoubtedly  the  first  white  people  who  ever  wintered 
in  Norwich  (winter  of  1765-66).  Although  they  had  chosen  as  sunny 
and  sheltered  a  spot  probably  for  a  dwelling  as  could  be  found  in  town, 
that  winter  must  have  been  dreary  and  cheerless  enough  to  them  in 
their  solitary  habitation  in  the  woods.  Game  from  the  surrounding 
forest  and  fish  from  adjacent  brook  and  river  must  have  been  their 
chief  reliance  for  food.  Mr.  Messenger,  it  is  related,  was  a  professional 
hunter  or  sportsman,  and  not  long  after  lost  his  life  while  fishing  on 
the  river,  in  this  manner:  His  canoe,  it  appeared,  went  adrift  while 


EXPERIENCES    OF   EARLY    SETTLERS  2^ 

he  was  asleep  in  it,  and  he  was  carried  down  with  the  current  until  up- 
set and  drowned  at  the  falls — Olcott's  Falls — some  distance  below. 

In  the  absence  of  any  precise  knowledge  of  the  manner  of  life  pur- 
sued by  our  Norwich  pioneers  during*  that  first  winter,  we  will  quote 
once  more  from  the  ]\Iann  Genealogy  a  few  sentences  descriptive  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  Mr.  John  ]\Iann  and  his  wife  passed 
the  same  period  at  Orford,  N.  H.,  but  a  few  miles  away  and  amid 
surroundings  very  similar:  "Removed  as  they  were  from  all  places  for 
obtaijiing  the  conveniences  and  comforts  of  life,  they  had  to  rely  upon 
their  own  efforts  to  obtain  only  a  small  portion  of  what  was  needed. 
A  few  chairs  and  a  bedstead,  and  something  for  a  table,  were  indis- 
pensable articles.  An  abundance  of  timber  was  everyw^here  around 
them,  but  no  sawmill  to  convert  it  into  lumber.  No  wagon  roads  were 
constructed  on  which  articles  for  housekeeping  could  be  transported. 
No  canals  were  cut  around  the  numerous  falls  in  the  river — for  the 
ascent  of  water  craft.  *  *  =^  As  there  w^as  no  land  cleared  or 
grain  raised  in  town,  Mr.  ]\Iann  having  some  tools  for  cooperage,  made 
pails  and  tubs  and  as  soon  as  the  river  was  sufficiently  frozen,  put 
them  on  a  handsled,  and  drew^  them  to  NcAvbury  on  the  ice  and  ex- 
changed them  for  corn  with  the  three  families  of  Johnson,  Bagley,  and 
Hazen  who  had  been  there  three  years  and  raised  corn.  The  distance 
on  the  river  was  about  twenty  miles.  This  corn,  with  or  without 
roasting,  was  pounded  in  a  mortar;  then  the  finest  parts  baked  into 
bread,  the  coarser  part  w^as  boiled,  which  was  called  hominy.  The  mor- 
tar was  made  of  a  section  of  a  large  hardwood  log  set  up  on  end  and 
the  top  hollowed  by  burning  so  large  and  deep  as  to  hold  from  three 
to  eight  quarts.  With  a  pestle  the  corn  was  pounded  until  it  was 
sufficiently  fine  for  use."  A  son  of  Mr.  Mann  gives  us  an  idea  of  the 
''chores"  required  of  boys  in  those  days :  "When  an  auger  was  Avanted 
to  make  a  bedstead,  it  was  only  to  step  nine  miles  through  the  woods 
to  Mr.  John  Chamberlin  in  Thetford — known  among  his  townsmen 
as  'Quail  John' — who  was  the  only  person  living  in  that  town,  and 
borrow^  one  of  him,  and  when  the  bedstead  and  two  or  three  chair 
frames  were  put  together,  just  step  through  the  nine  miles  of  woods 
to  return  it."  "And,"  he  adds,  "this  labor  and  fatigue  was  con- 
sidered as  nothing!" 


28  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

The  hardships  and  privations  of  the  early  settlers  of  Vermont  have 
been  so  often  described,  both  by  those  who  experienced  them  and  by 
later  writers,  that  it  does  not  seem  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  the  sub- 
ject here.  The  pioneers  of  Norwich  probably  did  not  suffer  for  the 
necessaries  of  life  to  the  extent  that  those  of  some  of  the  towns  back 
from  Connecticut  Eiver  did,  and  at  a  still  later  day.  Settlements 
were  begun  at  about  the  same  time  in  all  the  towns  along  the  river 
from  Charlestown  to  Newbury,  and  the  river,  in  the  almost  universal 
absence  of  roads,  was  not  only  the  best  natural  channel  for  supplies 
from  the  older  settlements  at  the  southward,  but  also  furnished  the 
immigrants  a  ready  means  of  communicating  with  and  assisting  each 
other  in  time  of  need,  which  was  wanting  to  the  more  thinly  scattered 
inhabitants  of  the  highlands  of  the  interior.  A  vivid  description  of 
the  trials  and  difficulties  that  attended  the  opening  up  to  settlement 
of  some  of  the  towns  in  the  central  part  of  the  state,  is  found  in  the 
narrative  of  Jabez  Fitch,  from  Norwich,  Conn.,  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  the  town  of  Hydepark,  about  the  year  1787-8.* 

As  late  as  1771,  Deacon  John  Burnap  emigrated  with  his  family  of 
six  children  to  Norwich  from  Lebanon,  Conn.,  by  the  route  followed 
by  Messrs.  Mann  and  Hutchinson,  as  above  described.  They  traveled 
the  whole  distance  on  foot,  bearing  the  family  goods  in  packs  upon 
their  backs. 

Elijah  Burnap,  then  a  boy  of  fifteen,  carried  upon  his  back  a  weight 
of  thirty  pounds  through  the  wilderness,  as  his  proportion  of  the 
necessarv  burden. 

Thev  built  a  log  house,  and  established  their  new  home  in  the  north- 
eastern  part  of  the  town. 

Very  little  can  now  be  ascertained  in  detail  as  to  the  progress  of 
settlement  in  these  earliest  vears.  The  tide  of  immioration  did  not 
set  very  strongly  into  town  before  1767  or  1768.  It  is  doubtful  if  the 
fifteen  new  settlers  for  whom  the  proprietors  offered  liberal  bounties 
in  1763  were  actually  obtained.  For  three  or  four  years  following 
1763,  it  is  probable  that  several  men  came  on  each  year,  selected  lots, 
passed  the  summer  upon  their  clearings,  and  returned  back  to  Con- 
necticut at  the  approach  of  winter,  as  was  customary  at  that  time 
At  a  proprietors'  meeting  held -at  Mansfield  in  March,  1765,  it  was 

*See  Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer,  Vol.  II.  pp.  640-652. 


EXPERIENCES    OF    EARLY    SETTLERS  29 

voted,  that  ''any  proprietor  who  goes  this  year  [as  a  settler]  shall 
choose  his  100  acres,  and  do  two  months'  work  upon  his  right  by  the 
first  day  of  October  next. ' ' 

A  similar  vote  was  passed  in  April,  1766.  The  statement  made  in 
Thompson's  Gazetteer  of  Vermont  that  "in  the  summer  of  1764,  four 
men  moved  their  families  into  the  township,"  has  been  questioned 
by  Rev.  Grant  Powers  in  his  "Sketches  of  the  Coos  Country,"  on 
the  authority  of  Doctor  Asa  Burton  of  Thetford,  who  affirmed  that  his 
father,  Jacob  Burton,  came  to  Norwich  from  Stonington,  Conn.,  in 
the  summer  of  that  year,  "for  the  purpose  of  locating  himself  if  he 
was  suited  with  appearances."  "At  that  time,"  he  adds,  "there  was 
no  inhabitant  in  town."  As  Jacob  Burton  was  again  in  Norwich  in 
1765,  enaaged  with  others  in  laving  out  lots  as  one  of  the  committee 
of  the  proprietors,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  families  were  permanently 
established  here  earlier  than  the  fall  of  1765.  The  first  substantial 
improvements  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  were  made  by  Jacob 
Burton  in  1766.  In  June  of  that  year  he  made  his  third  visit  to 
Norwich,  accompanied  by  his  son  Asa  and  some  other  hands,  by  whose 
assistance  he  built  a  saw  mill  on  Blood  Brook,  at  the  western  outskirts 
of  the  present  village  of  Norwich — upon  the  same  site  where  George 
Burton's  saw  mill  stood  previous  to  the  great  freshet  of  1869,  just 
below  the  bridge  near  the  tannery  of  Messenger  and  Hazen.  This 
mill,  probably  completed  in  1766,  was  beyond  doubt  the  first  sawmill 
built  in  Norwich,  or  within  a  circuit  of  many  miles.  It  supplied  the 
necessary  lumber  for  the  earliest  buildings  in  the  surrounding  country. 
The  same  or  the  following  year,  Mr.  Burton  built  for  himself  a  house 
a  short  distance  from  the  mill.  This  house  was  located  a  little  west  of 
the  dwelling  of  Azro  Turner  and  very  near  a  large  elm  tree  now  stand- 
ing in  the  adjacent  field.  Here  on  the  28th  of  July,  1768,  was  con- 
vened the  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  Norwich  held  within  the 
limits  of  the  town.  Boards  sawed  from  first  growth  pine  at  this  mill 
about  this  time  are  still  in  use.  They  form  part  of  the  outside  cover- 
ing of  a  barn  upon  the  premises  of  Deacon  Henry  Hutchinson,  be- 
lieved to  have  been  built  in  the  year  1767.*  About  thirty  years  ago 
this  barn  was  reshingled  for  the  first  time.     On  removing  the  old 

*Since  the   above  was  written,  this  barn   has  been   demolished  to  give  place  to  a 
handsome  building  on  the  same  site,  with  modern  conveniences  and  improvements. 


30  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

shingies — made  from  pine  of  the  original  growth — one  especially  broad 
and  handsome  shingle,  was  found  plainly  marked  with  the  figures 
"1767,"  denoting,  it  is  fair  to  presume,  the  year  it  was  laid  upon 
the  roof.  Whether  or  not  this  circumstance  affords  conclusive  evidence 
of  the  age  of  the  building,  no  one  who  has  seen  it  can  doubt  that  it  is 
one  of  the  very  oldest  buildings  now  standing  in  town.  Mr.  Samuel 
Hutchinson,  Sr.,  who  erected  it,  was  chosen  one  of  the  selectmen  of 
the  town  in  March,  1767.  The  farm  that  he  settled  upon  and  cleared 
up  has  ever  since  been  owned  and  occupied  by  his  descendants. 

For  several  years  after  the  first  settlers  came  in,  it  is  probable 
that  they  were  obliged  to  travel  a  considerable  distance  to  mills,  to 
get  their  grain  ground.  John  Spafford's  mill  at  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
and  Timothv  Lull's  on  Lull's  Brook  at  Hartland  were  much  resorted 
to  about  this  time  by  people  living  along'  the  Connecticut  River  as  far 
north  as  Newbury. 

But  the  proprietors'  records  of  the  year  1770  as  already  quoted, 
show  that  a  grist  mill  was  then  standing  on  Blood  Brook  in  Norwich, 
built  by  Joseph  Hatch  and  Oliver  Bab^ock.  This  mill,  it  is  under- 
stood, occupied  the  same  site  as  the  present  grist  mill,  operated  by  D. 
E.  Burbank.  It  probably  did  at  first  only  a  coarse  kind  of  grinding. 
As  the  same  early  period  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill  had  also  been 
built  on  Pompanoosuc  River,  at  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town,  by 
Isaac  Fellows,  as  appears  from  the  concession  granted  him  of  pitching 
74  1-2  acres  on  said  river  adjacent  to  his  mills.  These  mills  stood  on 
nearly  the  same  ground  as  those  now  owned  by  L.  S.  Patterson. 

After  Jacob  Burton's,  Captain  Joseph  Hatch  doubtless  built  the 
first  dwelling  house  on  Norwich  Plain.  This  house  stood  at  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  village,  nearly  opposite  the  present  residence  of 
the  widow  of  Erastus  Messenger.  In  this  house  the  first  town  meeting 
in  Norwich  was  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  ]\[areh,  1768.  A  few 
years  later — by  a  pretty  clear  tradition,  in  1773- — ]\Ir.  Hatch  built 
the  present  Messenger  house,  which  remains  to  this  day  without  es- 
sential change,  inside  or  out,  and  is  now  the  oldest  house  in  the  village, 
and  perhaps  in  town,  occupied  as  a  dwelling.  The  dwelling  of  W.  S. 
Hazen,  the  Deacon  John  Slafter  house  built  in  1786.  and  that  of  ]\Ir. 
Charles  Hazen,  near  the  south  line  of  Norwich  in  Hartford,  somewhat 
modernized  in  1883,  are  each  specimens  yet  remaining  of  a  similar 


SITES    OF    EARLY    SETTLEMENTS  3 1 

style  of  the  better  farm  houses  of  that  day.  The  house  of  Charles 
Hazen  is  known  to  date  from  the  year  1775.  For  more  than  twenty 
years  afterward,  the  house  of  Joseph  TTatch,  of  Jacob  Burton  and  of 
Elisha  Burton  (now  D.  A.  Armstrong's)  were  the  only  dwellings  on 
Norwich  Plain. 

As  early  as  1768,  settlers  had  arrived  in  considerable  numbers,  and 
begun  to  clear  up  farms  two  or  three  miles  back  from  the  Connecticut 
River.  In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  the  following  are  as- 
certained to  have  arrived  and  established  themselves  during  or  previous 
to  that  year: — In  the  south  part  of  the  town,  Thomas  Murdock,  John 
and  Joseph  Hatch,  Samuel  Partridge,  Sr.,  Aaron  AVright  and  Eben- 
ezar  Ball.  These  were  all  men  in  middle  life,  with  families,  and 
brought  with  them  numerous  children,  several  of  whom  were  grown 
men  and  women.  The  children  of  each  of  the  above  families,  except 
Joseph  Hatch's,  are  all  believed  to  have  been  born  in  Connecticut. 
With  Jacob  Burton  came  at  least  six  grown  up  children — four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  His  sons,  Josiah  and  Elisha,  were  then  recently 
married  and  were  already  engaged  in  making  themselves  hom^s  of 
their  own  in  town ;  Thomas  ^Murclock,  soon  to  become  a  leading  citizen 
of  the  town,  established  himself  half  a  mile  north  of  the  site  of  the 
present  village  of  Norwich.  Lieutenant  Samuel  Partridge  with  his 
five  sons  and  two  daughters  settled  where  Ambrose  Currier  now  lives. 
His  son,  Elisha  Partridge,  married  Margaret  Murdock  in  1765,  located 
where  Charles  A.  Slack  now  is. 

Aaron  Wright  and  his  son  John  (lately  married  to  Olive,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Partridge,)  occupied  the  100  acres  next  north  of  Lieu- 
tenant Partridge.  Adjoining  the  Wright  family  on  the  north  was 
John  Hatch  (where  Deacon  John  Dutton  now  lives),  who  had  come 
on  from  Preston,  Conn.,  with  his  brother  Joseph,  the  Wrights,  Par- 
tridges, and  IMurdocks,  and  bringing  with  him  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  about  three  years  old.  A  little  farther  north  were 
probably  already  located  the  Brown  family  [Samuel  and  Israel]  and 
the  Ball  family  [Ebenezar,  Joseph]. 

At  the  north  part  of  the  town,  besides  John  SI  after,  living  at  the 
river  (near  John  A.  Sargent's),  there  was  Captain  Hezekiah  Johnson 
(where  Richard  Waterman  now  lives),  Daniel  and  (probably)  Samuel 
Waterman  with  families  from  Mansfield,   Conn.,   Daniel  Waterman 


32  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

settling  where  William  Waterman  now  lives,  with  James  Huntington, 
Peter  Thatcher  and  Medad  Benton  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and 
Joseph  and  Francis  Smalley  and  Francis  Fenton  not  far  off. 

At  this  time,  and  still  more  unmistakably  at  a  later  date,  we  see  the 
tide  of  immigration  into  Norwich  setting  strongly  towards  the  high 
lands  and  away  from  the  banks  of  streams  and  rivers.  Surprise  is 
often  expressed  that  the  first  settlers  in  Vermont  should  almost  in- 
variablv  have  made  their  first  clearings  and  fixed  their  habitations 
upon  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills.  The  prominent  cause  for  this 
seems  to  have  been  that  all  low  ground  was  then  altogether  too  w^t 
for  cultivation.  People  at  the  present  day  have  little  idea  of  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  surface  of  the  ground  has  become  less  moist  than 
when  it  was  covered  with  an  unbroken  forest.  The  opening  up  of  the 
face  of  the  country  to  the  direct  contact  of  sun  and  wind  has  wrought 
a  wonderful  change  in  this  regard.  W^hat  are  now  considered  the 
most  valuable  lands  in  town— the  clay  lands — were  almost  entirely 
neglected  for  many  years. 

Another  cause,  based  somewhat  on  sentimental  considerations,  may 
have  operated  to  some  extent.  If  the  settler  pitched  his  home  upon  a 
hill,  his  situation  gave  him  an  outlook  and  a  prospect  over  the  sur- 
rounding country — a  consideration  of  no  mean  importance  to  the 
pioneer  and  his  family  in  their  solitary  life  in  the  woods.  That  he 
was  able  to  look  out  and  see  even  the  smoke  from  a  neighbor 's  dwelling, 
or  watch  the  progress  of  his  work  in  a  distant  clearing,  must  have 
helped  to  cheer  and  support  him  in  his  own  lonely  labors. 

But  the  life  of  our  pioneer  settlers,  though  involving  great  hard- 
ships and  self-denial,  was  not  altogether  isolated  and  unsocial.  Before 
1770  a  large  and  steady  stream  of  immigration  was  pouring  into  the 
new  towns  along  Connecticut  river.  "The  woods  were  full"  of  new 
settlers.  On  foot  and  on  horseback,  men,  women,  and  children  thronged 
the  rough  and  narrow  roads  beside  the  river  in  the  spring  of  every 
year.  Their  canoes  and  boats  dotted  the  river  itself.  Late  in  winter 
or  early  spring  many  came  by  sleds  and  sleighs  drawn  upon  the  firm 
ice  that  bridged  the  stream  from  shore  to  shore.  Rev.  Mr.  Sanderson, 
in  his  history  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  says  that  the  town  was  crowded 
with  companies  which  had  come  there  to  take  an  outlook  upon  the  new 
lands  of  which  they  had  heard  marvellous  tales  from  the  rangers  and 


FIRST    MALE    CHILD    BORN    IN    TOWN  33 

soldiers  who  had  traversed  the  region  duriii*;'  the  French  and  Indian 
wars.  And  it  is  not  strange  if  the  smooth  and  fertile  hillsides  and 
rich  intervales  of  Vermont  did  seem  a  veritable  land  of  Canaan  to  the 
immig-rant  accustomed  to  the  stony  and  sterile  fields  of  eastern  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut.  According  to  Mr.  Sanderson,  the  traffic 
in  supplies  for  travelers  and  those  newly  arrived  was  a  source  of 
much  profit  to  the  people  of  Charlestown.  Not  only  were  the  inns  of 
the  place  frequently  filled  to  ovei'fiowing,  but  every  private  family 
had  all  thev  could  victual  and  lodge. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  town  the  immigrant  popui;:ition  began  lo 
be  increased  by  the  native  born.  The  first  child  born  within  its  limits 
was  Lydia  Hutchinson,  daughter  of  John  Hutchinson,  born  Oct.  6, 
1766.  John  Slafter's  daughter  Christiana  was  born  Feb.  6,  1768. 
John  Waterman,  son  of  Daniel  Waterman,  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
male  child  born  in  town.  The  town  records  show  the  names  of  children 
born  to  other  pioneer  settlers  during  these  first  years,  among  them  two 
sons  of  Elisha  Partridge  (Reuben  and  Harper),  born  Sept.  30,  1771, 
and  June,  1769 ;  two  sons  of  Elisha  Burton  (Levi  and  Stephen)  born  in 
April,  1768,  and  December,  1769;  and  two  daughters  (Zerviah  and 
Lydia)  of  Josiah  Burton,  born  respectively  Sept.  7,  1767,  and  Aug.  14, 
1769.  Some  of  these  births,  with  others  on  record  contemporary  with 
these,  doubtless  actuallv  occurred  in  Connecticut. 

In  marked  contrast  with  that  motley  population  of  mixed  national- 
ities which  now  pours  constantly  into  the  new  states  and  territories 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  was  the  uniform  character  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  towns  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  Never  was  a 
tract  of  country  colonized  and  settled  by  a  more  homogeneous  people. 
On  both  sides  of  the  river,  nearly  all  were  emigrants  from  Connecti- 
cut, and  from  that  portion  of  Connecticut  lying  east  of  the  great  river. 
By  far  the  greater  part  came  from  a  small  group  of  towns  lying  around 
Mansfield  and  Lebanon.  A  radius  of  twenty  miles  extended  in  every 
direction  from  the  present  town  of  Willimantic  would  cover  pretty 
much  the  whole  ground.  As  regards  Norwich,  considerable  research 
among  the  oldest  families  has  not  revealed  the  first  one  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  previous  to  the  year  1790  (then  numbering 
more  than  1,000  souls)  that  in  coming  here  did  not  leave  a  home  in 
eastern  Connecticut.     Norwich  and  Hanover  were  largely  settled  by 


34  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

emigrants  from  IMansfield;  Hartford,  Lebanon  and  Piermont  from 
Lebanon,  Conn. ;  Thetford,  Orford  and  Fairlee  from  Hebron ;  and 
Strafford  and  Sharon  from  Hebron  and  Goshen.  Most  of  these  towns 
received  their  first  inhabitants  in  1765 — Thetford,  Hartford  and  Leb- 
anon mav  have  had  each  one  or  two  families  a  single  vear  earlier.  Of 
Norwich  itself,  after  Mansfield  and  Preston,  Tolland,  Lebanon,  He- 
bron, AVillington  and  Coventry  were  the  principal  mother  towns.  From 
Mansfield,  as  we  have  seen,  came  the  pioneer  families  of  John  Slafter 
and  Capt.  Hezekiah  Johnson,  with  the  Waterman,  Fenton,  Hunting- 
ton, Sargent,  -and  Hovey  families.  From  Tolland  came  the  Benton, 
Newton,  Nye,  Stimson,  Yeomans  and  West  families.  From  Hebron 
came  Buck,  Sawyer  and  the  Wrights.  From  Lebanon,  Burnap,  Cur- 
tis, Lyman,  Thatcher,  Cushman.  From  Botton,  Olcott,  Fellows  and 
Boardman.  From  Norwich,  Coit,  Baxter  and  Waterman.  From 
Weathers  field,  Goodrich  and  Loveland.  From  Wlllingtcn,  the  Cush- 
mans  (except  Capt.  Solomon)  and  the  most  numerous  branch  of  the 
Johnsons.  From  Fraiiklin,  the  Armstrongs.  From  Ashford,  the 
Hutchinsons.  From  Lyme,  Lewis.  From  Coventry,  Brigham,  Hib- 
bard  and  Spear.  From  Preston,  the  Browns,  Partridges  and  Burtons, 
with  the  Hatch  brothers  and  Thomas  Murdock. 

As  the  Puritan  founders  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  gave  to 
their  first  plantations  in  the  new  world  the  names  of  the  dear  old 
English  towns  they  had  left  behind,  so  we  find  the  names  of  Con- 
necticut towns  reappearing  in  large  numbers  in  the  Connecticut  valley 
towns  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire.  Norwich,  Hartford,  Lebanon, 
Lyme,  Plainfield,  Enfield,  AVindsor  and  Woodstock  are  examples  that 
readily  suggest  themselves  in  this  immediate  neighborhood.  Fifty-five 
towns  in  Vermont,  it  is  said,  are  the  namesakes  of  Connecticut  towns. 

"  Here  fond  remembrance  fixed  her  much-loved  names." 

Vermont  has  been  called  the  child  of  Connecticut.  The  men  who 
shaped  her  early  history  and  molded  her  constitution  and  laws  were 
chiefly  Connecticut  men.  AVith  few  exceptions,  they  were  natives  of 
Connecticut  who  filled  the  important  offices  of  the  new  state  for  the 
first  half  century  after  settlement — the  governors,  the  judges,  legis- 
lators, congressmen  and  soldiers,  who  made  the  name  of  "Green  Moun- 


FOUNDING    OF    DARTMOUTH    COLLEGE  35 

tain  Boys"  famous  in  American  history.*  Our  staunch  yeomanry 
were  of  the  same  stuff — of  the  same  resolute,  enterprising  and  hardy 
race  that  about  the  same  time  settled — amid  many  tribulations — the 
Wyomino-  valley  in  Pennsylvania,  and  a  few  years  later,  in  successive 
migrations,  swept  into  western  New  York  and  the  Western  Reserve  of 
Ohio  carrying'  with  them  everywhere  the  common  school,  the  town 
meeting,  and  an  educated  ministry,  secured  the  great  Northwest  t<» 
freedom,  and  so  firmlv  fixed  the  character  of  the  institutions  that 
dominate  to-day  in  America.  Virginia  has  been  honored  as  "the 
mother  of  presidents," — to  Connecticut  belongs  the  more  honorable 
title  of  mother  of  free  states — and  her  first-born  was  Vermont. 

The  founding  of  Dartmouth  College  at  Hanover  in  1769  was  an 
event  of  great  interest  and  importance  to  the  early  settlers  of  Norwich. 
Besides  the  advantages  it  promised  for  the  convenient  higher  educa- 
tion of  their  children, — advantages  to  which  they  were  fully  alive,  as 
shown  by  their  liberal  subscriptions  in  land  and  money  to  its  endow- 
ment— the  building  up  of  such  an  institution  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood created  an  instant  demand  for  labor  and  supplies  of  every 
kind.  The  president,  Doctor  Wheelock,  through  his  Indian  pupil, 
Samson  Occum,  and  other  agents,  had  collected  in  England  and  Scot- 
land several  thousand  pounds  to  be  expended  in  the  establishment  and 
support  of  a  new  college  in  the  wilderness.  The  effect  of  this  ex- 
penditure could  not  fail  to  make  money  more  plenty  and  to  contribute 
in  various  ways  to  the  material  prosperity  of  the  vicinage.  The  con- 
version and  education  of  the  Indians  was  the  leading  purpose  that  ani- 
mated Doctor  Wheelock  in  thus  setting  up  his  college  on  the  very  bor- 
ders of  civilization.  And  surely  no  pious  brotherhood  of  priests,  no 
lonely  mission  of  French  or  Spanish  Jesuits,  b}^  western  lake  or  river, 
ever  planted  an  institution  of  learning  or  religion  into  wilder  scenes 
and  surroundings.  The  location  of  the  college  at  Hanover  was  de- 
cided upon  early  in  the  summer  of  1770,  after  Doctor  Wheelock  and 
two  of  the  trustees  from  Connecticut  had  made  a  tour  of  several  weeks' 
exploration  along  the  river  and  through  the  northern  part  of  New 


*Seven  of  the  ten  first  governors,  and  five  of  the  nine  first  lieutenant  governors  of 
Vermont  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  as  were  eleven  of  the  sixteen  first  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  whose  place  is  known.  So  were  two- thirds  of  all  the  higher  officers  of  the 
gtate  during  the  first  fifty  years  of  its  history. 


36  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Hampshire.  A  tradition  in  the  Burton  family  asserts  that  the  location 
was  finally  fixed  at  a  conference  held  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Burton  in 
Norwich,  in  June,  1770,  between  Doctor  Wheelock  and  his  associates 
and  some  of  the  leading  men  of  this  and  neighboring  towns ;  a  tradition 
by  no  means  improbable,  and  it  may  also  be  here  said,  incidentally, 
that  the  location  might  probably  have  been  placed  at  Norwich  rather 
than  Hanover,  had  not  New  Hampshire  a  short  time  before,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  royal  decision  of  July  20,  1765,  formally  renounced 
her  jurisdiction  over  all  territory  west  of  Connecticut  river,  in  favor 
of  New  York,  thus  leaving  Norwich  just  outside  the  domain  of  the 
authority  (Governor  Went^V'Orth  of  New  Hampshire)  which  had 
granted  the  college  charter.  To  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Norwich 
and  adjacent  towns.  Doctor  AVheelock  was  then  personally  well  known 
as  a  favorite  preacher  and  for  many  years  the  preceptor  of  Moor's 
Charity  School  at  Lebanon,  Conn.,  in  the  very  neighborhood  from 
which  they  had  themselves  lately  come.  And  while  Norwich  was  at 
this  time  thickly  dotted  with  clearings  and  contained  nearly  200  people, 
her  sister  township  of  Hanover  across  the  river  was  still,  in  ail  the 
western  portion  at  least,  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  Hanover 
Plain  was  a  forest  of  gigantic  white  pines,  some  of  which  reached  a 
height  of  more  than  200  feet.*  The  stalwart  sons  of  Jacob  Burton, 
with  other  young  men  from  Norwich,  helped  to  cut  down  these  mon- 
archs  of  the  primitive  forest  in  the  early  summer  of  1770,  so  that  when 
Doctor  Wheelock  came  on  with  workmen  and  teams  in  the  August 
following,  a  beginning  had  been  made  and  sunshine  admitted  to  a 
few  acres  of  ground  where  the  village  of  Hanover  now  stands. 

A  few  weeks  later  \\'hen  the  family  of  President  Wheelock  and 
students  to  the  number  of  about  thirty  arrived,  a  log  hut  eighteen  feet 
square  was  the  only  building  ready  to  receive  them.  A  house  for  the 
president,  and  a  college  building  32x80  feet,  both  of  logs  ( ?)  had  been 
commenced.  A  unique  spectacle  it  must  have  been  when  the  straggling 
procession  of  Moor's  Charity  School  and  Dartmouth  College  made 
their  debut  into  Hanover,  as  they  emerged  slowly  from  the  surrounding 

*One  tree  was  found  to  be  270  feet  by  actual  measurement.  An  acre  of  land  could  be 
enclosed,  it  is  said,  by  four  of  these  monsters  properly  felled.  The  white  pine  is  one  of 
the  longest  lived  of  our  native  trees.  Doctor  Williams  says  that  some  of  the  largest  pines 
on  Connecticut  river,  of  the  original  growth,  w^ere  ascertained  to  be  between  300  and  400 
years  old,  by  count  of  their  concentric  rings  when  cut. 


feARLY   JOURNALS    OF    PRESIDENT    WHEELOCK  37 

forest  into  the  little  clearing  on  some  September  afternoon  in  1770, 
the  students  on  foot,  driving  before  them  a  few  cows  and  pigs  be- 
longing to  the  college,  the  whole  equipment  and  endowment  of  the  in- 
stitution loaded  into  a  few  ox  carts,  and  IMadame  Wheelock  and  the 
females  of  the  Doctor's  family  bringing  u\)  the  rear  in  the  family 
carriage — the  first  four-wheeled  vehicle,  assuredly,  that  ever  rolled 
into  this  part  of  the  country.  Until  the  last  of  October,  when  the 
college  building  was  made  fit  for  occupation,  the  students  camped  out 
in  booths  which  they  made  for  themselves  of  boughs  and  bark,  in  true 
Indian  fashion. 

The  journals  and  correspondence  of  President  Wheelock,  in  these 
first  years  following  the  establishment  of  the  college  at  Hanover,  are 
curious  and  instructive,  as  affording  some  insight  into  the  manner  of 
life  and  the  difficulties  and  trials  experienced  in  making  new  settle- 
ments at  that  period.  Writing  to  Doctor  Erskine  Dec.  7,  1770,  he  says : 
"Mv  nearest  neighbor  in  toAvn  is  2  1-2  miles  from  me ;  I  can  see  nothing 
but  the  lofty  pines  about  me."  (There  were  about  twenty  families 
at  that  time  living  in  the  east  part  of  Hanover,  three  or  four  miles 
back  from  the  river.) 

The  difficulty  of  procuring  provisions  compelled  the  sending  of  part 
of  the  students  back  to  Connecticut,  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  win- 
ter. Breadstuffs  were  brought  chiefly  from  Northfield  and  ^Montague, 
Mass.,  for  the  subsistence  of  the  settlement  and  school.  For  two  years 
the  larger  part  of  the  supply  of  food  for  the  support  of  the  school  was 
transported  from  one  to  two  hundred  miles,  over  bad  roads,  from  the 
older  settlements  of  New  Hampshire  and  jMassachusetts.  Doctor 
Wheelock  writes  that  the  cheapest  fodder  he  had  for  his  teams  and  a 
few  cows  the  second  winter  after  coming  to  Hanover,  was  brought 
forty  miles  on  sleds  by  oxen.  Active  and  persistent  efforts  were  at  the 
same  time  put  forth  to  make  the  colony  self  supporting.  A  saw  and 
grist  mill  was  built  on  IMink  Brook  in  1771,  seventy  acres  of  land 
cleared  and  twenty  cropped  with  wheat,  and  about  fifteen  tons  of  hay 
cut  and  stacked.  In  September,  1773,  he  reports  about  thirty  tons  of 
hay  cut  that  summer,  reaped  twenty  acres  of  English  grain,  and 
twenty  acres  of  Indian  corn  on  the  ground ;  fifteen  acres  fenced  and 
sowed  to  winter  wheat ;  500  acres  had  been  cut  and  girdled  for  future 


38  HISTORY    OF   NORWICM 

cultivation,  and  about  2,000  acres  of  '  Svilderness "  enclosed  with 
fence,  "so  that  oxen,  cows,  horses,  etc.,  may  be  restrained  from  ramb- 
ling' beyond  my  reach."  He  employed  from  twenty  to  thirty  men 
laboring  for  the  college  in  his  farming  and  building  operations.  His 
live  stock  consisted  of  seven  oxen  and  twenty  cows.  Whole  number 
of  students  during  the  year,  about  eighty,  including  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen Indian  boys.  *  *  *  *  ' '  A  little  more  than  three  years  ago, ' ' 
he  adds,  '"there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  here  but  a  horrid  wilderness. 
Now  there  are  eleven  comfortable  dwelling  houses,  besides  one  for  the 
students,  built  by  tradesmen  and  others,  who  have  settled  within  sixty 
rods  of  the  college." 

Our  Norwich  settlers,  as  already  intimated,  sympathized  keenly  with 
Doctor  Wheelock,  their  venerable  friend  and  former  neighbor  at  Leb- 
anon, Conn.,  in  his  benevolent  designs  and  self  denying  labors  to  re- 
move his  charity  school  and  set  up  a  college  at  their  very  doors.  And 
they  testified  their  sense  of  the  importance  of  his  undertaking  to  them- 
selves by  contributing  liberally  from  their  slender  means  for  its  en- 
dowment. Besides  labor  and  materials  which,  in  the  general  absence 
of  monev  in  the  new  settlements,  were  m.ost  readilv  afforded,  a  list  of 
subscribers  which  has  been  preserved  shows  that  nearly  every  adult 
male  person  then  living  in  town  gave  the  infant  college  some  pecuniary 
help  in  its  day  of  small  beginnings. 

Previous  to  its  location  at  Hanover  in  1770,  a  subscription  paper 
had  been  circulated  throiigh  the  towns  along  both  sides  of  the  river, 
which  were  the  only  tow^ns  that  then  contained  any  considerable  popu- 
lation. The  Norwich  subscribers  to  this  paper  were  thirty-four  in 
number,  and  their  subscriptions  amount  in  the  aggregate  to  £35,  10s.  in 
money  and  about  600  acres  of  land  given  to  the  college.  This  amount 
was  probably  largely  increased  in  the  years  immediately  following 
1770. 

The  counties  of  Cumberland  and  Gloucester  had  been  organized  by 
New  York  in  1766,  out  of  the  territory  lying  between  the  Green  Moun- 
tains and  Connecticut  River.  In  the  year  1771  a  census  of  these  coun- 
ties was  made  luider  the  authority  of  that  province.  All  the  towns  in 
Windham  and  Windsor  Counties,  as  now  constituted,  belonged  to 
Cumberland  County ;  the  remaining  portion  of  the  state  to  the  north- 


POPULATION  OF  NORWICH,  lyjo-ijyi  39 

ward,  then  mostly  unsettled,  was  called  the  county  of  Gloucester/^ 

By  the  census  of  1771,  the  population  of  the  two  counties  of  Cum- 
berland and  Gloucester  was  returned  as  4669 — (Cumberland,  ^947; 
Gloucester,  722).  Norwich  was  found  to  contain  206  people  distributed 
amont]:  fortv  families.  In  this  enumeration  the  inhabitants  were  classi- 
tied  as  to  age  and  sex  only.  The  number  of  males  above  sixteen  years 
of  age  was  found  to  be  QQ,  the  number  of  females  48.  The  number 
of  males  under  sixteen  was  53,  the  number  of  females  39.  The  num- 
ber of  children  or  young  people  under  sixteen  (92  out  of  a  total  of 
206)  is  remarkable.  Reckoning  forty  families  in  town,  there  would 
remain  twenty-six  unmarried  men  and  eight  unmarried  women  ovCi.' 
sixteen  years  old  in  the  new  settlement. 

Using  the  results  of  this  census  in  connection  with  the  list  of  sub- 
scribers to  the  Dartmouth  College  fund  of  1770  and  with  some  help 
from  the  town  records,  we  are  able  to  ascertain  with  considerable  cer- 
tainty the  names  of  each  of  the  forty  men,  heads  of  families,  living 
in  Norwich  in  the  year  1771.  These  are  the  names  of  the  principal 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  town,  and  they  may  properly  be  regarded  and 
here  recorded  as  the 

Fathers  of  the  Town 
John  Hutchinson  John  Slafter  ' 

Nathan  INIessenger  Ilezekiah  Johnson 

Jacob  Burton  Daniel  Waterman 

Thomas  JMurdock  Samuel  Waterman 

Elisha  Burton  Josiah  Goodrich 

John  Sargent  Timothy  Bush 

Josiah  Burton  Peter  Thatcher 

Samuel  Partridge  Joseph  Smalley 

Elisha  Partridge  Francis  Smalley 

John  Hatch  James  Huntington 

Joseph  Hatch  Medad  Benton 

Aaron  AVright  John  Burnap 

John  Wright  David  Turner 


*In  the  first  organization  of  eastern  Vermont  into  counties  by  New  York,  Norwich 
belonged  to  Cumberland  County.  In  March,  1772,  a  change  of  boundary  was  made 
which  placed  the  town  in  Gloucester  County.  In  the  new  division,which  was  thenceforth 
maintained,  the  north  line  of  the  county  of  Cumberland  began  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Royalton,and  ran  thence  on  a  course  of  South  60  degrees  East  to  Connecticut  River. 


40  illStORY    OF    NORWICH 

Samuel  Brown  Daniel  Baldwin  (?) 

John  Hopson  Jesse  Geer   ( ?} 

Samuel  Hutchinson  Gershem  Bartlett  (?) 

Ebenezar  Ball  John  Rogers  (  ?) 

Joseph  Lewis  EHsha  Crane  (?) 

Elijah  Gates  Isaac  Fellows  (?) 

Samuel  Wright 
Benjamin  Hatch 
Israel  Brown 
Samuel  Partridge,  Jr. 
Samuel  Brown,  Jr. 
Simeon  Carpenter 
Jonas  Richards 

Twenty-seven  of  the  above  names  are  found  on  the  college  subscrip- 
tion list  of  1770.  In  respect  only  to  the  last  six  names  [marked  with 
the  interrogation  ( ?)]  does  any  uncertainty  exist,  and  here  the  doubt 
does  not  relate  to  their  residence,  but  as  to  whether  their  respective 
families  had  then  come  into  town. 

The  names  in  the  left  hand  column  belong  to  men  who  settled  in  the 
south  and  those  in  the  right  hand  column  to  settlers  in  the  north  or 
central  portions  of  the  town.  The  following  may  be  added,  names  of 
unmarried  young  men  then  resident  here  and  actively  engaged  in  the 
work  of  settlement : — Israel  Brown,  Peter  Thatcher,  Joseph  Ball,  Sam- 
uel Hutchinson,  Jr.,  Daniel  Baldwin,  James  Smalley,  and  Ebenezar 
Jaques. 

The  figures  set  against  other  towns  in  Cumberland  County,  in  the 
census  of  1771,  show  Norwich  in  the  first  rank  if  not  leading  all  others 
in  the  number  of  its  population.  Hartford  had  190,  Sharon  68,  Hart- 
land  144,  and  Windsor  203. 

Across  the  river,  the  nearest  New  Hampshire  towns  contained  num- 
bers very  similar.  Two  years  later,  in  1773,  Hanover  had  342  (in- 
cluding 8  slaves  and  90  students  at  college),  Lebanon  295,  Lyme  241, 
and  Orford  222.  But  in  those  two  years  Norwich  had  made  large 
gains. 

Ten  years  had  now  elapsed  since  the  town  was  chartered  by  New 
Hampshire  and  five  since  the  tide  of  immigration  first  set  vigorously 
into  it.     A  little  community  of  more  than  200  persons  had  been  col- 


POPULATION    OF    NORWICH,    I77I  4! 

lected,  scores  of  clearings  made  in  the  primitive  forest,  and  a  virgin 
soil  made  to  yield  food  for  man  and  beast;  roads  had  been  opened, 
mills  built,  a  church  had  been  organized  (in  1770),  and  the  homes  of 
the  people  began  to  possess  some  of  the  most  indispensable  comforts 
of  civilized  life.  Children  played  where  but  lately  the  bear  ana  woif 
roamed  unmolested  and  unscared. 

T3ut  everything  was  still  crude  and  rough  in  the  new  frontier  town ; 
the  people  lived  in  log  houses  almost  destitute  of  furniture  or  utensils, 
ate  coarse  food  and  wore  homespun  clothes  of  linen  or  woolen  fabric. 
It  was  a  long  way  yet  to  the  railroad  and  telegraph,  to  pianos  and 
sewing  machines,  or  even  to  the  first  cooking  stove.  It  was  more  than 
thirty  years  later  before  Norwich  had  a  postoffice. 


CHAPTER  III. 


NORWICH  IN  THE  CONTROVERSY  WITH  NEW  YORK 

A.    D.    1765-1790 

The  contest  with  New  Y^ork  in  regard  to  land  titles  was  the  first  of 
a  series  of  political  commotions  that  arose  to  disquiet  and  vex  the 
settlers  on  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  to  turn  their  thoughts  and 
energies  away  from  the  improvement  of  their  little  properties,  and 
check  their  growing  prosperity.  In  this  contest  the  inhabitants  of  the 
upper  valley  of  the  Connecticut  in  general  took  no  active  part. 

They  all  held  their  lands  under  New  Hampshire  Grants,  and  as  New 
York  never  regranted  the  same  lands  to  other  parties,  or  attempted 
to  dispossess  them  or  molest  them  in  any  manner  in  the  quiet  enjoy- 
ment thereof,  they  had  personally  no  cause  for  controversy  with  the 
authorities  of  that  province.  The  town  records  of  Norwich  contain  no 
allusion  to  the  vexed  questions  that  occupy  so  large  a  space  in  contem- 
porary history  on  the  west  of  the  Green  ]\Iountains,  nor  do  the  words 
"New  York"  once  occur  on  these  records,  except  in  conveyances  of 
land  from  one  person  to  another,  where  the  property  is  described  as 
lying  in  the  "Province  of  New  York."  The  authority  and  jurisdiction 
of  New  Y'ork  were  for  the  most  part  quietly  ignored.  No  active  par- 
tisjias  of  her  claims  are  known  to  have  resided  in  town,  nor  did  the 
town  "in  apprehension  of  future  loss  of  their  landed  property,"  pro- 
cure at  a  heavy  expense  a  new  charter  from  the  New  York  govern- 
ment confirming  them  in  i)ossession,  as  was  the  case  with  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  towns  in' what  is  now  Windsor  County.  The  farthest 
that  the  town  went  in  apparent  recognition  of  New  York  jurisdiction, 


THE  CONTROVERSY  WITH  NEW  YORK  43 

was  in  the  election  of  sundry  town  officers  under  their  New  York 
names,  as  supervisors  instead  of  selectmen,  assessors  for  listers,  three 
commissioners  of  hio-hways  (whose  business  was  to  lay  out  and  alter 
"liighways),  three  overseers  of  the  poor,  two  or  more  constables,  and  in 
1775  and  1776,  a  board  of  three  trustees.  This  fashion  prevailed  from 
1770  to  1776,  when  they  finally  disappear  from  the  records,  and  the 
good  old  New  England  names  of  town  officers — selectmen,  listers,  con- 
stable, etc.,  were  promptly  restored,  and  the  other  offices  of  tithing 
men,  hay  wards,  grand  jurymen,  etc.,  unknown  to  municipal  govern- 
ment in  New  York,  were  filled  again.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  too, 
that  Norwich  never  changed  the  time  of  holding  the  annual  town  meet- 
ing from  ]\Iarch  to  ]\lay,  in  conformity  to  New  York  law  and  usage, 
as  was  done  in  most  of  the  neighboring  towns  during  the  period  of 
New  York  ascendancy.  Soon  after  Vermont  came  into  being  as  a 
State,  in  1778,  these  towns  by  common  consent  returned  to  the  ancient 
practice  of  IMarch  meetings,  which  they  had  derived  from  New  Hamp- 
shire with  their  first  charters,  and  which  is  still  preserved  in  both 
states. 

The  influence  of  New  York  probably  reached  its  height  east  of  the 
Green  IMountains  about  1772  or  '73.  This  was  before  the  arbitrary  pol- 
icy of  that  province  towards  the  New  Hampshire  settlers  west  of  the 
mountains  was  fully  developed,  and  its  actions  of  ejectment  and 
proclamations  of  outlawry  against  the  leaders  of  the  Green  Mountain 
Boj^s  had  everywhere  created  a  feeling  of  disaffection  and  dislike  to 
its  authority.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Peter  Olcott  emigrated  to 
Norwich  and  Joseph  Marsh  to  Hartford.  Both  of  these  men  at  once 
took  leading  positions  in  their  respective  towns,  became  large  land 
holders,  and,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  were  at  first  inclined  to  look 
with  favor  upon  the  claims  of  New  York  to  rightful  jurisdiction  over 
the  New  Hampshire  Grants. 

About  this  time  (May  10,  1772)  John  Hatch  of  Norwich  was  com- 
missioned a  justice  of  the  peace  by  New  York  and  acted  as  such  for 
several  years  so  far  as  to  take  acknowledgment  of  deeds  and  authenti- 
cate legal  papers.  Mr.  Hatch  was  the  first  person  to  hold  the  office 
of  magistrate  in  town,  and  the  only  inhabitant  who  is  known  to  have 
held  civil  office  under  New  York  appointment.  He  was  ever  after 
familiarly  known  as  Esquire  John  Hatch.* 


44  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

In  1772  the  town  of  Hartford  took  ont  a  charter  nnder  New  York, 
as  either  the  same  year  or  earlier  did  Windsor,  Woodstock,  Chester, 
Springfield,  Wethersfield,  Cavendish,  Reading  and  Plymouth.  In  all 
of  these  towns  the  forms  of  government  of  New  York  were  much  in 
vogue  for  several  years.  The  fees  paid  to  New  York  officials  for  these 
charters  were  generally  $2,000,  or  upwards,  against  about  $300  orig- 
inally paid  to  New  Hampshire  for  a  like  service;  and  a  quit  rent  of 
2^  9^  sterling  on  each  100  acres  was  demanded  in  place  of  the  9^^  pro- 
vided for  in  the  New  Hampshire  charters.  [For  specimen  of  a  town 
charter  by  New  York,  see  Vermont  History  Magazine,  Vol.  II,  pp. 
808-11.]  The  records  of  deeds  in  Norwich  witness  that  there  existed 
for  several  years,  perhaps,  some  nervousness  in  the  minds  of  real 
estate  owners,  as  to  the  validity  of  title  under  New  Hampshire  grants, 
inasmuch  as  in  the  conveyance  of  land  by  deed,  the  grantor  did  not 
usually  give  an  absolute  warranty  of  title,  but  limited  his  warrant  only 
against  persons  claiming  b}",  through  or  under  himself,  or  the  original 
New  Hampshire  grantee. 

At  the  first  organization  of  the  counties  of  Cumberland  and  Glouces- 
ter by  New  York  in  1766,  out  of  the  territory  lying  east  of  the  Green 
Mountain  range,  Norwich  was  included  in  Cumberland  County;  but  a 
new  division  was  made  in  1772,  which  placed  the  town,  with  Sharon 
and  Royalton,  within  the  limits  of  Gloucester  County.  The  census 
of  the  previous  year  had  shown  the  latter  county  to  contain  a  popu- 
lation of  only  722,  while  Cumberland  County  returned  3944 — more 
than  one-half  the  population  of  Vermont  at  that  time.  Newbury, 
Mooretown  [Bradford],  Thetford,  and  Strafford  were  the  only  towns 
in  Gloucester  County  then  containing  any  considerable  population. 

Earnest  efforts  w^ere  early  made  by  New  York  to  set  up  the  ma- 
chinery of  county  government  in  Gloucester  County,  but  with  very 
indifferent  success,  tlthough  there  were  some  decided  partisans  of  that 
jurisdiction  living  in  the  north  part  of  the  county.  Appointments  of 
judges,  sheriff,  and  other  county  officers  were  made,  and  the  county 
seat  was  located  at  the  present  town  of  Washington,  in  Orange  County, 
which  had  been  granted  previous  to  1770,  by  New  York  to  the  corpor- 
ation of  King's  College,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  name  of 

*Samuel  Partridge  held  a  military  commission  issued  by  New  York. 


THE  CONTROVERSY  WITH  NEW  YORK  45 

Kinoslancl.  The  county  biiildin<is  here  consisted  of  a  log  jail  built  at 
the  center  of  the  town  some  time  before  it  had  any  permanent  inhabi- 
tants, and  which  stood  for  many  years  afterwards  to  be  pointed  out 
by  the  curious  as  an  interesting-  monument  of  our  early  history.  Only 
a  single  instance  is  remembered  in  which  this  jail  was  used  as  a  prison. 
In  this  case  the  prisoner  had  taken  along  with  him  a  few  potatoes 
for  sustenance  during  his  confinement.  Finding  imprisonment  intol- 
erable in  that  lonely  place  in  the  woods,  he  soon  broke  jail,  but  with 
rare  forethought  or  benevolence  he  planted  the  potatoes  he  had  left,  for 
the  benefit  of  future  occupants,  in  front  of  the  jail,  where — ^it  is  added 
— they  grew  spontaneously  for  years  afterwards. 

The  great  distance  from  the  seat  of  government  in  New  York,  and 
the  scanty  and  scattered  population  in  Gloucester  County,  probably 
delayed  a  complete  organization  of  coiDity  affairs — so  prominent  in  the 
Nen'  York  system  of  government — such  as  prevailed  for  many  years 
in  the  more  populous  southern  county  of  Cumberland.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  Gloucester  County  was  ever  represented  in  the  New  York 
legislative  body,  either  in  colonial  times  or  after  the  rupture  with 
Great  Britain.  Jacob  Bagley  of  Newbury  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the 
New  York  Congress  in  1775,  but  did  not  take  his  seat. 

Aside  from  the  town  of  Kingsland,  above  mentioned,  the  only  grants 
of  land  made  by  New  York  in  Gloucester  county,  known  to  the  writer, 
were  the  town  of  Bradford,  under  the  name  of  Mooretown,  in  1770, 
and  the  town  of  Rovalton,  under  the  name  of  Lintfield.  Both  these 
townships  covered  grants  previously  made  by  New  Hampshire,  but 
for  some  reason  the  original  grantees  in  each  case  seem  not  to  have 

An  amusing  account  of  an  attempt  to  hold  court  at  this  shire  town  in  the  month  of 
February,  1771,  by  John  Peters,  clerk,  and  John  Taplin,  and  John  Taplin,  Jr.,  judge  and 
sheriff  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  the  county  of  Gloucester,  is  found  in  Volume  I, 
p.  268  of  "  Government  and  Council,"  copied  from  the  Documentary  History  of  New 
York,  wherein  it  appears  as  an  official  record.  It  reads  as  follows:  —  Feb.  25,  1771. — 
Set  out  from  Mooretown  for  Kingsland,  traveled  until  night.  There  being  no  road  and 
the  snow  very  deep,  we  traveled  on  snowshoes  or  rackets.  On  the  26th  we  travelled  some 
ways  and  held  a  council,  when  it  was  concluded  it  was  best  to  open  court.  As  we  saw  no 
line,  it  was  not  known  whether  in  Kingsland  or  not.  But  we  concluded  we  were  far  in  the 
woods  ;  we  did  not  expect  to  see  any  house  unless  we  marched  three  miles  within  Kings- 
land,  and  no  one  lived  there,  when  the  court  was  ordered  to  be  opened  on  the  spot." — 
Ten  years  later  the  town  was  regranted  (Aug.  8,  1781)  to  Elisha  Burton  of  Norwich  and 
others,  by  the  legislature  of  Vermont,  under  the  name  of  Washington. 


46  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

availed  themselves  of  their  grants  for  the  purpose  of  settlement,  and 
the  same  had  therefore  lapsed,  so  that  no  controversy  arose  concerning 
the  title  to  lands. 

The  dealings  of  the  New  York  authorities  in  general  Avith  the  New 
Hampshire  settlers  east  of  the  mountains,  appear  to  have  been  much 
more  temperate  and  conciliatory  from  the  beginning  than  Avith  their 
brethren  on  the  west  side,  and  there  is  much  to  support  the  belief, 
which  has  been  widely  entertained,  that  such  was  the  studied  policy 
of  the  New  York  officials.  With  this  view,  separate  county  govern- 
ments were  erected  on  the  east  side,  officered  from  its  own  people, 
while  the  whole  western  section  was  annexed  to  the  existing  New  York 
counties  of  Albany  and  Charlotte,  and  harassed  by  writs  of  ejectment, 
sheriffs,  bosses,  and  other  oppressive  measures.  And  while  it  is  prob- 
able that  the  leading  men  of  Norwich,  in  common  with  manv  in  Cum- 
berland  and  Gloucester  Counties,  did  not  exactly  approve  all  the 
doings  of  the  "Bennington  Mob,"  as  the  New  York  officials  styled 
those  most  active  in  resisting  them,  yet  when  the  hour  was  ripe  for  a 
final  separation  from  that  justly  hated  government,  and  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  whole  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  into  a  new  State,  we 
find  Jacob  Burton  and  Thomas  Murdock,  two  influential  citizens  of 
the  town,  sitting  as  delegates  in  the  General  Convention  at  Westmins- 
ter January  15-17,  1777,  and  among  the  most  prominent  and  active 
members  of  that  bodv. 

At  this  convention  the  decisive  step  was  taken  of  renouncing  at  once 
and  forever  all  political  connection  with  New  York,  and  it  was  further 
unanimouslv  ''Voted,  that  the  district  of  land  commonlv  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  Ncav  Hampshire  Grants  be  a  new  and  separate 
State."  A  forma]  Declaration  of  Independence  was  drawn  up  by  a 
committee  of  five  of  which  Thomas  Chittenden  and  Jacob  Burton  were 
members.  This  committee  made  report  to  the  convention  on  the  16th, 
in  the  following  terms: — "Your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the 
form  of  a  declaration  setting  forth  the  right  the  inhabitants  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Grants  have  to  form,  themselves  into  a  separate  and 
independent  state  or  government,  beg  leave  to  report,  viz : 

"1  That  whenever  protection  is  withheld,  no  allegience  is  due,  or 
can  of  right  be  demanded. 

' '  2  That  whenever  the  lives  and  properties  of  a  part  of  a  community 


INDEPENDENCE    RECOMMENDED    BY    COMMITTEE  47 

have  been  manifestly  aimed  at  by  either  the  legislative  or  executive  au- 
thority of  such  community,  necessity  requires  a  separation.  Your  com- 
mittee is  of  opinion  that  the  foregoing  has,  for  many  years  past,  been 
the  conduct  of  the  monopolizing  land-traders  of  the  colony  of  New 
York,  and  that  they  have  been  not  only  countenanced,  but  encouraged, 
b}^  the  legislative  and  executive  authorities  of  said  state  or  colony. 
Many  overt  acts,  in  evidence  of  this  truth,  are  so  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  members,  that  it  would  be  needless  to  name  them. ' ' 

After  referring  to  a  resolution  of  Congress  of  May  15,  1776,  in  sup- 
port of  their  action,  they  proceed  as  follows: — "Your  committee,  hav- 
ing duly  deliberated  on  the  continued  conduct  of  the  authority  of 
New  York,  before  recited,  and  considering  that  a  just  right  exists  in 
this  people  to  adopt  measures  for  their  own  security,  not  only  to 
enable  them  to  secure  their  rights  against  the  usurpations  of  Gf^eat 
Britain,  but  also  against  that  of  New  York,  and  the  several  other 
governments  claiming  jurisdiction  of  this  territory,  do  offer  the  fol- 
lowing 

DECLxVRATION 

''This  convention,  whose  members  are  duly  chosen  by  the  free  voice 
of  their  constituents,  in  the  several  towns  on  the  New  Hampshire 
Grants,  in  public  meeting  assembled,  in  our  own  names,  and  in  behalf 
of  our  constituents,  do  hereby  proclaim  and  publicly  declare  that  the 
district  of  territory  comprehending  and  usually  known  by  the  name 
and  description  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  of  right  ought  to  be, 
and  is  hereby  declared  forever  hereafter  to  be  considered  as  a  separate, 
free  and  independent  jurisdiction  or  state.  *  *  *  «=  Further- 
raore,  we  declare  by  all  the  ties  held  sacred  among  men  that  we  will 
firmly  stand  by  and  support  one  another  in  this  our  declaration  of  a 
state,  and  in  endeavoring  as  much  as  in  us  lies  to  suppress  all  un- 
lawful routs  and  disturbances  whatever.  Also,  we  will  endeavor  to 
secure  to  every  individual  his  life,  peace  and  property  against  all  un- 
lawful invaders  of  the  same." 

Twelve  towns  east  of  the  Green  ^Mountains  were  represented  in  this 
convention,  the  first  occasion  at  which  delegates  from  all  parts  of  the 
Grants  were  present,  and  the  men  of  Gloucester  and  Cumberland  here 
first  joined  hands  in  a  common  cause  with  the  Green  Mountain  boys 
of  the  w^estern  section  who  had  so  resolutely  resisted  fi^om  the  first  the 


48  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

arbitrary  and  unjust  measures  of  the  New  York  government,  and 
whose  determined  attitude  had  doubtless  saved  them  from  the  conse- 
quences of  a  violent  collision  with  the  authorities  of  that  government. 
The  spirited  action  of  the  convention  at  Westminster  led  to  the 
calling  of  another  convention  which  met  the  following  July  at  Wind- 
sor, where  a  constitution  and  frame  of  government  were  established 
for  the  new  State  of  Vermont,*  whose  independence  though  assailed 
b^  powerful  foes  from  many  quarters,  was  maintained  through  fifteen 
years  of  controversy  and  struggle  with  a  courage  and  sagacity  on  the 
part  of  its  supporters  rarely  equalled,  until  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1791,  "the  star  that  never  sets"  finally  took  its  place  in  the  constel- 
lalion  of  states  forming  the  American  Union. 


*Peter  Olcott  and  Jacob  Burton  were  delegates  from  Norwich  to  this  Convention. 


CHAPTER  IV 


PROPOSED  UNION  WITH  NEW  HAMPSHIRE* 

m  pursuance  of  votes  passed  and  instructions  given  by  the  towns  of 
Newbury,  Moretown,  Norwich  and  Hartford,  lying  on  the  New  Hamiv 
shire  Grants,  so  called,  west  of  Connecticut  river,  proposing  to  take 
some  measures  to  be  informed  of  the  honorable  General  Court  of  New 
Hampshire,  whether  a  union  of  the  territory  aforesaid  can  be  effected 
with  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  in  consequence  of  their  claim  over 
the  same,  on  terms  honorable  and  mutually  beneficial,  and  appointing 
Committees  from  those  several  towns  to  meet  at  Thetford,  in  order 
further  to  consult  on  the  subject  and  gain  information  therein  in  such 
way  and  manner  as  may  appear  most  advisable; — The  said  Commit- 
tees being  convened  in  consequence  of  the  votes  and  instructions  afore- 
said, after  mature  deliberation  came  to  the  following 

Resolutions 

^^  Resolved,  that  it  evidently  appears  to  be  the  wish  and  desire  of  the 
toAvns  above  named,  as  by  their  votes  and  instructions  is  expressed, 
and  also  by  good  information  it  appears  to  be  the  desire  of  several 
other  towns  who  have  not  had  opportunity  to  be  represented  at  this 
time, — that  the  territory  aforesaid,  or  part  thereof,  should  be  united 
with  the  State  of  N.  H.  and  be  under  its  jurisdiction,  provided  it  can 
be  done  on  terms  honorable  and  mutually  advantageous ;  and  that  we 
therefore  think  it  our  duty  to  enquire  of  the  S^  Gen.  Court  of  N.  H. 
whether,  ao'reeablv  to  their  claim  aforesaid,  the  Territorv  or  Grants 
above  mentioned,  or  part  thereof,  may  on  such  terms  be  united  with 


*In  this  chapter  are  recorded  the  proceedings  looking  towards  a  union  of  the 
towns  of  Newbury,  Moretown,  Nor^vich  and  Hartford  with  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire  after  the  failure  of  the  Second  Vermont  Union  with  New  Hampshire 
towns  in  1782.     The  facts  here  subjoined  are  from  New  Hampshire  State  Papers. 


50  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

and  become  part  of  S^  State :  and  that  we  imagine  such  an  union  might 
be  formed  to  the  general  benefit,  well  being  and  interest  of  the  whole. 

^'Resolved,  that  if  the  Hon.  Gen.  Court* of  N.  H.  are  disposed  or  de- 
sirous to  extend  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  aforesaid,  or  a  part 
thereof,  they  be  earnestly  requested  to  signify  their  disposition  there- 
for to  the  several  towns  in  their  said  claims  as  soon  as  conveniently 
may  be,  and  also  manifest  their  ideas  respecting  judicial  and  other 
proceedings  under  the  authority  of  Vt.  (cases  now  pending  in  courts, 
&c.)  ;  and  if  a  seasonable  adjustment  of  these  last  mentioned  and  other 
necessary  matters  can  take  place,  we  have  full  reason  to  believe  and 
assert,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  in  S^  territory  would 
readily  acknowledge  the  authority  of  N.  H. — Expecting  doubtless  at 
the  same  time,  that  some  direction  or  assistance  Avill  be  afforded  in 
guarding  the  frontiers — 

^^  Resolved,  that  the  following  ]\Iemorial  be  transmitted  to  and  laid 
before  the  Hon.  Gen.  Court  of  N.  H.  together  with  these  Resolutions, 
and  that  Abel  Curtis,  Esq.,  be  appointed  Agent  to  wait  on  that  hon- 
orable Court  with  the  same — And  that  S*^  Agent  be  desired  and  em- 
powered to  make  and  receive  such  further  proposals,  agreeable  to  the 
tenor  hereof,  as  may  then  be  judged  beneficial  and  expedient. 

Memorial 

"To  the  Hon.  General  Court  of  New  Hampshire,  to  be  convened  at 
Concord  in  and  for  S^  State,  on  the  Second  Tuesday  in  June  next,  the 
Committees  aforesaid,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  Towns  above 
named,  beg  leave  to  represent : — 

"(1)  That  the  Grantees  and  occupants  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
lands  in  the  territory  aforesaid  were  possessed  of  titles  from  the  gov- 
ernor of  X.  H.,  and  were  in  expectation  of  continuing  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  that  Government — 

"That  the  people  in  S*^  territory  were  very  unexpectedly  and  dis- 
agreeably involved  in  difficulties  and  calamities  by  being  annexed  to 
N.  Y.  by  the  royal  edict  in  the  year  1764: — out  of  which  they  ever 
were  desirous  and  endeavored  to  extricate  themselves: — but  without 
success  until  after  the  memorable  American  Revolution,  when  for 
their  mutual  benefit  and  protection  against  the  efforts  of  internal  and 
external  foes  they  were  impelled  b^  necessity  to  form  into  a  separate 
jurisdiction. 


ff 


m^ 


^f^:.^= 


^m^ 


-^^^t^ 


y*^i^ 


'^Mi 


PROPOSED    UNION    WITH    NEW    HAMPSHIRE  5 1 

"That  necessity  aifd  necessity  only  induced  the  inhabitants  of  the 
.'owns  above  mentioned  and  many  others  to  unite  and  continue  under 
uhe   new   Government    [Vermont],   being-  unjustly   deprived   of  that 
jurisdiction  and  protection  from  N.  H.  which  they  had  a  right  to  ex- 
pect and  enjoy. 

"And  while  they  have  esteemed  the  Congress  of  the  U.  S.  to  be  the 
guardians  of  the  rights  of  a  numerous  and  free  people,  and  have  been 
ready  to  stand  forth  in  the  defence  of  and  support  of  the  cause  of 
America,  they  have  for  a  long  while  looked  to  them  for  a  settlement 
of  our  unhappy  disputes;  but  hitherto  to  no  purpose. 

' '  That  while  on  the  one  hand  we  view  with  keenest  anxiety  a  negotia- 
tion on  foot  with  the  British  [in  Canada]  greatly  to  the  detriment  of 
the  public  cause,  and  tending  to  our  final  ruin  without  a  speedy 
remedy — which  we  are  not  at  present  in  a  capacity  to  obtain  or  afford 
— on  the  other  hand  we  may  view  our  rights  violated  in  the  most  fla- 
grant manner  and  our  liberties  trampled  upon  by  a  number,  without 
rebuke  or  remorse. 

"And  therefore,  unless  a  number  of  men  be  raised  or  afforded  for  the 
defence  of  these  frontiers,  we  nnist  view  their  situation  to  be  indeed 
very  distressed  and  unhappy. 

"That  althouah  we  do  not  wish  to  involve  ourselves  under  greater 
disadvantages  to  obtain  relief  from  our  present  troubles,  we  think  it 
our  duty  ncA^ertheless  to  inquire  whether  the  jurisdiction  of  N.  H. 
may  not  be  as  real  as  its  claim,  and  whether  the  territory  aforesaid 
may  not  be  speedily  united  with  and  become  a  part  of  that  State,  0:1 
such  principles  as  may  be  honorable,  mutually  beneficial  and  advan- 
tageous to  the  whole.  Being  persuaded  that  the  S^^  territory  011  ac- 
count of  its  fertility,  &c.,  may  greatly  add  to  the  wealth  and  resources 
of  New  Hampshire. 

"The  Committee  aforesaid  therefore  beg  that  your  honors  would 
take  the  several  matters  hereinbefore  suggested  into  your  wise  consid- 
ration,  and  rest  assured  you  will. pursue  such  measures  thereupon  as 
will  eventually  prove  for  the  best  good  of  N.  H.  and  the  territory 
aforesaid,  whose  interests  ought  doubtless  to  be  inseparable. 

"Signed  by  order  and  in  behalf  of  the  Committees  aforesaid,  this 
31^^  day  of  May,  A.  D,  1782,  and  in  the  sixth  year  of  American  Inde- 
pendence. 

"BiLDAD  Andros,  Chairman." 


52  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

The  above  Resolutions  and  Memorial  bear  ^unmistakable  internal 
evidence  that  they  came  from  the  pen  of  Abel  Curtis. 

The  movement  of  these  four  towns  was  deemed  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  occasion  Governor  Chittenden  of  Vermont  to  despatch  Col. 
Ira  Allen  to  Concord  to  counteract  the  influence  of  Mr.  Curtis  with  the 
General  Court  of  New  Hampshire. 

See  Governor  and  Council. 


CHAPTER  V 


NORWICH  AND  DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Norwich  had  for  many  years  within 
its  borders  a  collegiate  institution  of  its  own,  founded  and  directed  by 
its  most  distinguished  son,  the  relations  of  our  people  towards  the 
sister  institution  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Connecticut  were  always 
intimate  and  friendly. 

Dartmouth  College  had  been  in  successful  operation  for  half  a  cen- 
tury when  Captain  Partridge  first  planted  his  Military  Academy  on 
Norwich  Plain  in  1820.  The  town  and  the  college  began  their  exist- 
ence at  about  the  same  time,  and  during  the  days  of  their  infancy 
and  weakness  had  learned  to  be  mutually  helpful.  Thus  the  college 
and  the  community  grew  up  together.  The  founders  of  Norwich, 
almost  without  excejjtion,  w^ere  from  the  vicinity  of  Lebanon,  Conn., 
the  seat  of  Rev.  Dr.  Wheelock's  Indian  School,  and  were  generally 
well  acquainted  personally  and  by  reputation  with  the  venerable 
founder  of  the  College  before  he  transplanted  his  school  from  that 
town  into  the  wilds  of  w^estern  New  Hampshire  in  the  autumn  of  1770. 
There  is  a  current  tradition — I  know  not  how  authentic  it  may  be — • 
that  Doctor  Wheelock  would  himself  have  preferred  to  locate  his  col- 
lege on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  at  Normch  instead  of  at  Hanover, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  Norwich  was  at  that  time  nominally 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  New  York,  and  lay  therefore  outside  of  the 
territorial  limits  of  that  colonv  which  had  conferred  the  charter  and 
corporate  existence  for  the  new  institution.  Hovv^ever  that  may  be, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  as  regards  its  immediate  surroundings 
the  college  would  have  been  more  advantageously  situated  at  Nor- 
wich during  its  earliest  years  than  at  Hanover.  By  the  New  York 
census  of   1771,  Norwich   contained  206  inhabitants.     A  census  of 


§4  HISTORY   OF  NORWICH 

Hanover  four  years  earlier  gave  that  town  but  ninety-two,  and  these 
were  located  chiefly  in  the  eastern  and  northern  portions.  Norwich 
was  dotted  with  settlers'  cabins  and  little  clearings  while  Hanover 
Plain  was  still  a  dense  pine  forest.  Writing  from  Hanover,  Dec.  7, 
1770,  President  Wheelock  says :  ' '  My  nearest  neighbor  in  town  is  2  1-2 
miles  from  me ;  I  can  see  nothing  but  the  lofty  pines  about  me. ' '  Nor- 
wich had  at  that  time  both  saw  and  grist  mills  in  operation ;  and  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  whatever  sawed  lumber  was  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  first  college  buildings  at  Hanover  had  been  rafted 
across  the  river  from  Captain  Hatch's  or  Jacob  Burton's  saw  mills 
near  the  mouth  of  Blood  Brook  in  Norwich. 

Although  it  received  its  charter  from  Governor  Wentworth  in  1769, 
the  college  was  not  definitely  located  at  Hanover  until  the  early  sum- 
mer of  1770,  after  eight  weeks  spent  by  President  Wheelock  and  one 
or  two  of  the  trustees  in  a  personal  examination  of  the  valley  from 
Charlestown  to  Haverhill  and  many  consultations  with  the  leading 
men  of  the  towns  on  both  sides  of  Connecticut  River.  It  was  at  a 
conference  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Burton  in  Norwich  that  this  decision 
was  finally  reached.  While  the  canvass  for  the  location  was  going  on, 
subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  proposed  college  were  solicited  from  the 
settlers  along  the  river.  The  people  almost  invariably  were  poor. 
Many  families  had  scarcely  a  roof  to  shelter  wife  and  babies;  still, 
out  of  their  poverty  they  responded  generously  to  the  call.  The  Gen- 
eral Court  of  ^Massachusetts  is  said  to  have  taxed  each  householder 
in  that  colony  a  peck  of  meal  in  1636,  for  the  endowment  of  Harvard 
College;  but  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Norwich  did  better  than  that. 
Their  voluntary  donations  in  land  and  money  for  the  founding  of 
Dartmouth  in  the  summer  of  1770  were  as  follows : 


MONEY 

MONEY 

Acres 

1 

s. 

Acres 

^ 

s.         d. 

Jacob  Burton 

67 

I 

Daniel  Waterman 

24 

15 

Ebenezar  Ball 

33 

John  Slafter 

40 

I 

Thomas  Murdock 

33 

10 

Samuel  Hutchinson 

2 

10 

Elisha  Crane 

33 

10 

Medad  Benton 

2 

Philip  Smith 

33 

I 

John  Hatch 

2 

10 

Capt.  Ilezekiah  Johnson 

80 

I 

Samuel  Partridge 

2 

5 

John  Sargent 

40 

2 

10 

Elisha  Partridge 

10 

Timothy  Bush 

40 

2 

Jonas  Richards 

lO 

Peter  Thatcher 

40 

15 

Joseph  Hatch 

33 

I 

CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    DARTMOUTH     COLLEGE  55 


MONEY 

MON 

E;^ 

Acres 

& 

s. 

d. 

Acres        &       s. 

Cl- 

Josiah Burton 

20 

Aaron  Wright 

I 

io 

Israel  Brown 

27 

10 

Prancis  Smalley 

I 

Daniel  Baldwin 

13 

10 

Joseph  Ball 

I 

Francis  Fenton 

33 

Jona  Ball 

5 

John  Hutchinson 

I 

loSamuel  Brown 

2 

5 

Elisha  Burton 

I 

10 Samuel  Waterman 

7 

6 

Nathan  Messenger 

sSamuel  Partridge,  Jr. 

10 

John  Wright 

I 

Ebenezar  Jaques 

7 

6 

These  donations  amounted  to  589  acres  of  land  and  35  pounds,  15 
shillings  in  cash.  There  were  other  gifts  during  the  years  immediately 
following  as  well  as  contributions  of  labor  and  materials  from  time  to 
time — from  such  as  had  nothing  else  to  give. 

Nor  does  it  appear  that  the  infant  settlement  failed  to  endow  the 
college  in  a  higher  sense.  To  Dartmouth  went  the  bright  boys  of  the 
Norwich  pioneers  for  an  education.  The  distinction  belongs  to  Nor- 
wich of  furnishing  the  first  graduate  from  Vermont.  No  brighter 
intellects  are  found  upon  the  rolls  of  the  institution  during  the  first 
decade  of  its  history  than  those  of  Abel  Curtis  and  Asa  Burton.  More 
than  thirty  descendants  of  the  twenty-four  families  represented  in  the 
list  of  contributors  above  given  have  since  received  the  honors  of  the 
college ;  and  if  we  admit  a  dozen  other  families  that  settled  in  Norwich 
previous  to  1780,  the  number  is  increased  to  upwards  of  fifty  who 
have  been  thus  honored. 

The  principal  men  of  Norwich  were  in  close  alliance  with  the  au- 
thorities of  Dartmouth  College  in  promoting  an  interesting  political 
movement  (the  secret  history  of  which  has  never  been  fully  written)' 
that  was  industriously  worked  for  about  six  years  following  1776. 
This  was  a  scheme  to  form  a  new  state  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Con- 
necticut, to  include  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  whose  capital  should  be  Hanover  or  some  town  centrally  located 
on  the  east  or  west  bank,  and  whose  intellectual  and  educational  center 
should  be  Dartmouth  College.  This  was  by  no  means  the  visionary 
scheme  it  would  now  appear  to  be.  As  affairs  then  stood,  it  had  much 
to  recommend  it ;  but  the  project  failed  in  spite  of  the  able  and  earnes:' 
efforts  of  its  supporters  (who  comprised  a  large  majority  of  the  most' 
influential  people  in  the  river  towns),  chiefly  because  fate  and  Ira 
and  Ethan  Allen  of  the  new  State  of  Vermont  were  a^rainst  it.     It 


56  HISTORY    OF    NORWICIt 

was  but  a  natural  result,  however,  of  their  mutual  labors  and  sacri- 
fices for  this  "lost  cause,"  that  the  town  and  the  college  should  be 
drawn  closer  together  in  sympathy  and  in  friendly  offices. 

Local  influences,  it  is  fair  to  presume,  had  some  share  in  securing 
to  Dartmouth  College  from  the  legislature  of  Vermont,  at  its  session 
at  Norwich  in  June,  1785,  the  grant  of  a  full  township  of  land  in 
Caledonia  County  (named  Wheelock  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  the 
college),  the  rents  and  profits  of  which  have  ever  since  accrued  to  the 
benefit  of  the  college.  A  few  years  earlier,  when  Vermont  extended 
her  jurisdiction  over  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  east  of  the  Connecti- 
cut River,  the  district  of  Dresden  was  admitted  to  representation  in  the 
legislature  as  a  distinct  municipality,  embracing  the  corporation  of 
Dartmouth  College — a  privilege  never  accorded  by  New  Hampshire 
itself. 

Out  of  a  multitude  of  facts  and  circumstances  like  those  above  noted 
the  conviction  was  early  established  in  the  minds  of  a  large  majority 
of  the  people  of  eastern  Vermont,  that  they  and  the  people  of  New 
Hampshire  had  a  common  interest  in  Dartmouth  College.  The  amount 
of  patronage  which  Vermont  has  given  to  that  institution  in  supplying 
it  with  students  has  accordingly  been  second  only  to  that  of  New 
Hampshire,  to  the  serious  detriment,  it  must  be  confessed,  of  our  own 
State  University  at  Burlington.  Indeed,  it  may  be  questioned  whether 
more  Vermont  young  men  have  not  sought  an  education  there  than  at 
both  of  our  Vermont  colleges.  The  proportion  of  Vermonters  in  the 
several  classes  of  the  academic  department  during  the  last  fifteen  years 
at  Dartmouth,  has  averaged  about  one  quarter  of  the  whole  number 
in  attendance,  while  that  of  New  Hampshire  has  been  less  than  one 
third.  In  some  of  the  classes  between  the  years  1870  and  1880,  the 
proportion  from  Vermont  was  from  thirty  to  forty  per  cent  of  the 
whole.  Of  the  class  that  graduated  in  1879  not  less  than  forty-one 
per  cent  were  Vermonters. 

Among  the  acts  passed  by  the  legislature  of  our  State,  while  in 
session  at  Norwich,  in  June,  1785,  was  one  granting  23,000  acres  of 
land  to  the  Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  the  President  of 
Moor's  Charity  School.  By  this  act  the  Governor  and  Council  were 
requested  to  issue  a  charter  of  incorporation  for  the  same,  when  so 
surveyed,  and  in  pursuance  of  that  request,  that  land  was  chartered 
under  the  name  of  Wheelock. 


CHAPTER  VI 


HANOVER  BRIDGE 

The  earliest  form  of  transportation  across  the  Connecticut  River 
between  Norwich  and  Hanover  of  which  we  have  any  information  was 
the  canoe  of  Nathan  IMessenger,  who  some  time  in  the  summer  of  the 
year  1765  established  a  hunting  camp  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  a 
few  rods  south  of  where  the  west  end  of  Hanover  bridge  now  is.  In ' 
this  canoe  the  family  and  household  goods  of  John  Hutchinson  were 
brought  over  from  the  Hanover  side  in  the  late  fall  of  the  same  year, 
at  the  completion  of  thei]'  long  journey  from  Ashford,  Conn.,  to  their 
new  home.  This  family,  with  that  of  ]\Ir.  Messenger,  were  the  first 
white  persons  known  to  have  passed  the  winter  in  Norwich,  occupying 
together  the  log  hut  of  Mr.  ]\Iessenger.  Jerome  Hutchinson,  a  son  of 
John,  then  a  child  of  about  three  years,  was  fond  in  his  old  age  of 
recounting  his  recollections  of  crossing  the  river  on  that  occasion,  some 
incidents  of  which  never  faded  from  his  memory.  The  grotesque  ap- 
pearance in  the  water  of  an  old  white-faced  cow  (which  the  family  had' 
driven  from  Connecticut)  as  she  swam  behind  the  canoe  during  the 
passage  of  the  river,  was  indelibly  fixed  in  his  mind.  Mrs.  ]\Iessenger, 
at  her  home  on  the  Norwich  side  of  the  river,  was  first  made  aware  of 
the  arrival  of  the  Hutchinsons  by  hearing  the  cry  of  their  baby  from 
the  opposite  bank,  which  she  afterwards  declared  was  "the  sweetest' 
music  she  ever  heard, ' '  breaking  thus  unexpectedly  the  stillness  of  her 
solitary  life  in  the  Avoods. 

After  the  founding  of  Dartmouth  College  and  the  settlement  of  ad- 
jacent parts  of  Hanover  five  years  later,  enlarged  facilities  for  cross- 
ing the  river  were  doubtless  provided.  The  first  allusion  to  a  ferry 
at  this  point  is  found  in  the  town  records  of  1778  when  a  public  high- 


58  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

way  was  laid  "from  the  Ferry  place  near  Mr.  John  Sargent's  to  the 
Meetinghouse'  in  Norwich, ' '  the  building  of  which  was  commenced  that 
year.  Parties  of  volunteer  soldiers  are  remembered  to  have  crossed 
here  in  October,  1780,  going  to  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians  at  the  time 
of  the  burning  of  Royalton. 

Although  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  River  had  been  recog- 
nized from  the  earliest  times  as  the  western  boundary  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, the  town  of  Norwich  for  many  years  vigorously  asserted  and 
maintained  its  right  to  one-half  of  the  privilege  of  a  ferry  between 
Norwich  and  Hanover.  The  exclusive  privilege  or  franchise  of  oper- 
ating a  ferry  at  this  place  (and  afterwards  of  building  a  bridge)  was 
early  conferred  by  the  New  Hampshire  government  upon  the  Trustees 
of  Dartmouth  College ;  but  the  Norwich  authorities  were  slow  to  give 
up  what  they  regarded  their  just  rights  in  the  matter.  During  the 
existence  of  the  Second  Union  of  New  Hampshire  towns  with  Vermont, 
the  ferry  seems  to  have  been  wholly  in  the  possession  and  under  the 
control  of  Norwich. 

At  a  town  meeting  held  March  25,  1782.  it  was  voted  "that  a  com- 
mittee of  three  be  appointed  to  take  the  care  and  management  of  the 
Ferry  by  M^"-  John  Sargent 's  leading  to  Dresden,  in  behalf  of  the  Town 
as  our  property,  it  being  found  that  great  inconveniences  have  arisen 
for  want  of  faithful  attendance.  And  that  s<^  committee  be  desired 
and  empowered  to  lease  out  or  dispose  of  the  same  for  the  term  of 
one  year  next  coming  to  such  person  as  Avill  give  good  security  for 
constant  and  faithful  attendance.  And  such  committee  is  further  de- 
sired to  engage  such  person  the  quiet  and  unmolested  possession  of 
the  Ferry  for  said  term  of  one  year,  and  that  they  immediately  pro- 
cure a  boat  for  that  purpose.  The  committee  chosen :  Capt.  Joseph 
Hatch,  Maj.  Elisha  Burton  and  Nath^  Brown,  Esq."  It  is  apparent, 
however,  that  before  the  end  of  the  year  the  claims  of  the  town  were 
contested  by  parties  in  Hanover,  for  in  the  record  of  the  annual  town 
meeting,  March  4,  1783,  we  find  the  following  entry:  "A  letter  from 
Capt.  [Aaron]  Storrs  respecting  the  Ferry  was  read.  And  the  ques- 
tion thereupon  put  by  Bezaleel  Woodward  Escjuire  to  the  meeting, 
Whether  the  Town  will  agree  to  sell  the  boat  put  in  by  the  town  at 
said  Ferry  to  Capt.  Storrs?  It  passed  unanimously  in  the  negative." 
A  committee  was  then  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  boat  and  ferry 


FIRST  BRIDGE  BETWEEN  NORWICH  AND  HANOVER        59 

for  the  ensuing  year,  and  again  to  offer  the  trustees  of  the  college  the 
privilege  of  one-half  of  the  ferry;  and  in  ease  this  offer  should  be 
declined,  "to  lease  out  said  boat  and  ferry  in  such  way  as  they  may 
judge  most  beneficial  to  the  town  and  the  public."  Nothing  seems  to 
have  come  of  these  negotiations,  and  a  year  later  (March  15,  1784)  a 
vote  was  carried  in  town  meeting,  "that  the  Committee  who  were  ap- 
pointed to  build  the  boat  two  years  ago  for  a  Ferryboat  between  this 
town  and  Dresden,  be  directed  to  lock  up  said  boat  and  dispose  of  the 
same  to  the  best  advantage";  and  from  thenceforth  we  hear  no  more 
of  the  town  of  Norwich  attemi)ting  to  hold  or  control  the  ferry. 

The  first  bridge  across  the  Connecticut  River  between  the  states  of 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  was  built  at  Bellows  Falls  in  the  year 
1785,  by  Colonel  Enoch  Hale,  of  Walpole.  This  was  the  only  bridge 
on  the  river  north  of  iMassachusetts  until  1796,  when  bridges  were 
completed  between  Windsor  and  Cornish  and  between  Norwich  and 
Hanover.*  About  the  year  1794,  a  charter  was  granted  by  the  legis- 
lature of  New  Hampshire  to  build  a  toll  bridge  on  the  river  between 
Hanover  and  Norwich.  That  was  not  the  first  effort,  however,  to 
build  a  bridge  at  this  point.  IMore  than  ten  years  before  (March, 
1783),  the  toAvn  of  Norwich  appointed  a  committee  "to  act  with  the 
Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College  respecting  the  expediency  of  endeavor- 
ing to  obtain  a  Lottery,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  Bridge  between 
this  town  and  Dresden,  and  [to  see]  whether  measures  may  not  be 
entered  into  to  effect  such  a  design."  This  effort  was  not  successful 
and  it  was  not  till  1796  that  the  towns  were  finallv  united  by  a  bridore. 

The  town  of  Norwich  does  not  appear  to  have  been  at  all  suited 
with  the  project  of  building  a  toll  bridge.  At  its  annual  town  meeting, 
March  8,  1796,  it  was  voted  unanimously,  "that  we  wish  there  might 
be  a  free  bridge  built  over  the  river  Connecticut  at  the  ferry  at  Doctor 
Lewis ' ;  and  in  case  we  cannot  have  a  free  Bridge  built  there,  we  rather 
have  a  ferry  kept  there  than  to  have  a  toll  bridge  built. ' '  A  committee, 

*The  Lyman  Bridge  between  Hartford  and  Lebanon  was  commenced  in  1797  and 
completed  in  1802;  that  between  Fairlee  and  Orford  the  same  year;  between  Newbury 
and  Haverhill  in  1806;  Cheshire  Bridge,  1805  ;  between  Westminster  and  Walpole,  1807; 
Brattleboro  and  Hindsdale,  1804;  Lyme  Bridge,  1822;  Gilbert's  Bridge,  1839. — The  Con- 
necticut River  was  bridged  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  as  early  as  1777.  Charles  River  was  first 
bridged  between  Boston  and  Charlestown  in  1786.  Cambridge  Bridge  was  completed  in 
1794,  and  Craigie's  Bridge  a  few  years  later. 


60  lilSTORY   OF   NORWICli 

consisting  of  Captain  Joseph  Hatch,  Doctor  Joseph  Lewis  and  Colonel 
David  Curtis,  was  at  the  same  time  chosen  "to  open  subscriptions  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  any  sum  or  sums  of  money  or  obligations  for 
the  express  purpose  of  building  a  free  Bridge  over  the  river  Connecti- 
cut near  Doctor  Joseph  Lewis'."  This  committee  was  also  directed 
'^forthwith  to  apply  to  the  selectmen  of  the  town  of  Hanover,  to  lay  out 
a  sufficient  Highway  from  the  College  Plain  to  the  river,  with  sufficient 
land  adjoining  the  river  at  the  most  proper  and  convenient  place  for 
erecting  an  abutment  on  that  side  of  the  river  for  a  free  bridge. ' '  The 
people  of  Norwich  did  finally  get  the  free  bridge  they  longed  for,  and 
very  much  in  the  manner  they  then  sought  it,  but  it  was  still  a  long  dis- 
tance in  the  future.  Three  successive  toll  bridges  rose  and  disappeared 
and  more  than  half  a  c.entury  of  time  intervened,  before  that  con- 
summation was  reached.* 

To  the  towns  of  Norwich  and  Hanover  belongs  the  credit  of  opening 
the  first  free  bridge  over  the  Connecticut  River  between  Vermont  and 
New  Hampshire.  After  much  discussion  and  agitation  of  the  subject 
in  town  meetings  and  elsewhere,  the  Bridge  Company,  in  November, 
1858,  offered  to  surrender  its  charter  provided  the  sum  of  $800  was 
subscribed  by  the  citizens.  This  was  promptly  done,  and  early  in  the 
season  of  1859,  the  present  free  bridge  was  built  by  the  joint  action  and 
contributions  of  the  two  towns.  Its  cost  was  about  $6,500.  It  was 
opened  for  travel  in  June,  and  on  the  first  of  July  it  was  formally 
dedicated  by  public  observances  under  the  name  of  the  "Ledyard  Fre3 

*The  architect  of  the  first  bridge  was  Richard  Graves,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College  in  1791.  It  was  built  with  a  single  span,  without  any  supporting  pier,  the  floor  of 
the  bridge  forming  an  inclined  plane  upwards  from  each  abutment  to  the  middle  of  the 
structure.  It  was  constructed  of  green  pine  timber  and  did  not  prove  a  success,  but  fell 
into  the  river  from  its  own  weight  after  a  few  years.  A  second  toll  bridge  soon  succeeded, 
which  stood  over  thirty  years,  till  worn  out  by  age  and  use.  The  third  toll  bridge,  built  in 
1839,  was  burned  in  the  fall  of  1853.  Neither  of  the  toll  bridges  was  a  coverei  bridge. 
After  the  destruction  of  the  third  bridge  a  ferry  was  maintained  by  the  Bridge  Company 
till  the  completion  of  the  present  covered  bridge  in  1859  by  Deacon  Brown  of  Claremont, 
N.  H.  Two  ferries  were  supported  in  early  times  between  Norwich  and  Hanover,  north 
of  the  site  of  Hanover  Bridge.  One,  called  the  "  Rope  Ferry,"  was  located  just  below  the 
island  in  the  river  near  Mr.  Samuel  Hutchinson's,  connecting  there  with  a  public  highway 
which  entered  the  main  street  of  the  village  of  Hanover  through  what  is  now  known  as 
"  Faculty  Avenue."  Another,  which  was  in  use  till  about  1840,  was  about  a  mile  south  of 
the  mouth  of  Pompanoosuc  River.  A  third,  in  operation  as  early  as  1796,  and  near  the 
north  line  of  the  town,  was  called  Rogers'  Ferry,  probably  from  Ensign  John  Rogers,  who 
settled  very  early  in  that  part  of  the  town. 


DEDICATION    OF    LEDYARD    FREE    BRIDGE  6l 

Bridge."  A  public  meeting  was  held  on  that  day  at  the  College 
Church  in  Hanover,  at  which  speeches  were  made  in  commemoration 
of  the  event  by  Professors  E.  D.  Sanborn  and  J.  W.  Patterson,  and 
W.  II.  Duncan,  Esq.,  of  Hanover,  and  by  President  Edward  Bourns 
of  Norwich.  The  occasion  was  one  of  much  interest,  and  general  re- 
joicing was  manifested.  The  bridge  has  now  stood  for  nearly  half  a 
century,  without  accident  or  costly  repairs,  for  the  free  use  of  the 
traveling  public.  It  is  400  feet  in  length,  and  about  forty  feet  above 
the  river  at  low  water.  The  larger  part  of  the  cost  of  building  and 
maintenance  was  assumed  by  the  town  of  Hanover. 


CHAPTER  VII 


CHURCH  HISTORY 

The  great  achievement  of  the  first  generation  of  Norwich  settlers 
was  the  building  of  a  meeting  house.  IMore  than  any  other  event  of  the 
time,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  accomplishment  of  the  national 
independence,  this  was  an  undertaking  that  enlisted  the  energies  and 
taxed  the  resources  of  our  forefathers. 

The  building  of  a  meeting  house  in  a  New  England  frontier  settle- 
ment a  century  ago  was  regarded  a  matter  of  public  concern,  to  be 
supported  by  the  whole  community  without  regard  to  sect  or  party, 
like  the  opening  of  roads  or  any  other  public  charge.  In  less  than  ten 
years  from  the  time  the  first  clearing  was  made  in  Norwich,  the  pre- 
liminary steps  were  taken  to  provide  a  meeting  house  to  be  used  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  whole  people  in  the  public  worship  of  God. 
The  question  of  the  location  of  this  building  was  sharply  agitated,  re- 
resulting  in  a  keen  competition  between  different  sections  of  the  town 
for  the  coveted  distinction,  inasmuch  as  the  location  of  the  house  was 
supposed  to  fix  the  site  of  a  possible  future  village  where  much  of  the 
business  of  the  town  would  be  transacted.  When  it  became  apparent 
that  no  agreement  could  be  reached,  a  locating  committee  of  three 
men  from  out  of  town  was  chosen  and  summoned  upon  the  ground 
to  decide  where  the  meeting  house  should  stand.  The  formal  report 
of  this  Committee  as  made  at  the  time  has  recently  been  found  among 
the  papers  of  the  late  W.  H.  Duncan,  Esq.,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and 
by  the  kindness  of  Honorable  Frederick  Chase  has  been  furnished  to 
the  writer.  It  is  printed  below  in  full  as  a  curiosity  of  the  times  to 
which  it  relates : 


the  first  meeting  house  63 

''Report  of  a  Committee,  Locating  the  First  Meeting  House  in 

Norwich,  A.  D.  1773. 

"We,  the  subscribers,  being  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  township  of 
Norwich,  County  of  Gloucester  in  the  province  of  New  York,  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  October  inst.  appointed  a  Committee  to  examine  and 
find  out  the  best  and  most  convenient  spot  to  build  a  meeting  house  on 
for  the  public  worship  of  God  in  s*^  town  and  on  their  appointment 
and  call  we  met  in  said  town  on  the  28^^  day  of  Oct.  inst.,  and 
according  to  the  instructions  given  us  by  s^  inhabitants  we  care- 
fully viewed  s^^  township  and  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  heard  all 
parties  concerned  touching  the  premises  and  considered  the  same,  and 
are  of  opinion  that  the  best  and  most  suitable  place  to  build  s^  house 
on  is  upon  the  9^^  Lot  in  the  second  Range  of  100  acre  divisions,  about 
20  rods  a  little  North  of  West  from  Capt.  [Peter]  Olcott's  dwelling 
house,  on  the  north  side  of  the  highway — s^  house  to  include  a  stake 
set  up  by  us  marked  "M.  H. " — All  which  is  agreed  upon  by  your 
most  obedient,  humble  servants. 
[Dated]  Oct.  30,  1773, 

' '  Signed 

"Samuel  Gilbert,*  "| 

"Charles  Hill,         '.     .^^      ,, 
^  I  mittee.' 

Seth  Wright.         J 

The  situation  for  a  site  as  made  by  the  Committee,  was  the  occasion 
of  considerable  dissatisfaction,  it  is  said,  especially  among  the  inhabi- 
tants of  an  elevated  tract  of  land  lying  west  of  the  present  village  of 
Norwich,  which  had  been  settled  and  improved  by  a  company  of 
families  from  Preston,  Conn.,  as  early  as  the  summer  of  1766,  who  had 
made  a  resolute  effort  to  secure  the  meeting  house  in  their  own  imme- 
diate neighborhood  nearer  to  the  geographical  center  of  the  town.  Tiie 
temporary  disaffection  gave  to  the  tract  above  described  the  name  of 
"Judgment  Hill,"  an  appellation  conferred  upon  it  by  Lieutenant 
Governor  Olcott,  and  which  it  retained  for  many  years.  Possibly  the 
Preston  people   (among  whom  were  Aaron  and  John  Wright,  John 

*Colonel  Samuel  Gilbert  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  and  first  settlers  of  Lyme, 
N.  H.  He  came  from  Hebron,  Conn.  Charles  Hill  was  an  early  settler  in  Lebanon, 
N.  H.    Mr.  Wright  was  probably  from  Hanover, 


64  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Hatch,  Samuel  Partridge,  Samuel  Partridge,  Jr.,  and  Israel  Brown 
and  Jonas  Richards)  thought  the  hand  of  Captain  Olcott,  a  new- 
comer who  had  then  resided  in  town  only  about  a  year,  rather  too 
prominent  in  settling  this  matter.  But  he  gave  liberally  of  his  large 
means  for  the  promotion  of  the  enterprise,  and  soon  after  conveyed 
to  the  town  as  a  free  gift  the  land  for  a  meeting  house  lot  and  for  the 
public  burial  ground  adjoining. 

The  point  where  the  committee  set  their  stake,  and  where  the  meet- 
ing house  was  subsequently  built,  was  a  short  distance  southeast  of  the 
site  of  the  second  meeting  house  built  in  1817,  the  outlines  of  which 
are  still  distinctly  visible.  The  first  house  stood  directly  in  front  of 
the  old  cemetery  and  nearly  in  line  with  the  old  brick  schoolhouse 
still  standing  near.  The  surface  of  the  ground  where  it  stood  seems 
to  have  been  disturbed  in  later  years  and  made  more  uneven.  The 
war  of  the  Revolution,  with  its  anxieties  and  alarms,  soon  interposed 
to  delay  the  consummation  of  cherished  hopes  in  regard  to  the  meet- 
ing house.  The  foundations  of  the  new  edifice  were  finally  laid — with 
appropriate  observances,  no  doubt — July  9,  1778.  Meanwhile  a  young 
minister.  Reverend  Lyman  Potter,  had  been  settled  over  the  church 
and  the  town,  the  installation  ceremonies  being  performed  in  the  open 
air,  upon  the  spot  chosen  for  the  future  temple,  but  then  a  primitive 
forest,  on  the  31st  of  August,  1775.* 

The  building  of  the  meeting  house  advanced  with  slow  and  halting 
steps  for  several  years.  The  people  were  poor  and  their  burdens  and 
sacrifices  many  and  severe.  Within  a  year,  however,  from  the  laying 
of  the  foundations,  the  frame  was  up,  covered  with  rough  boards 
and  the  roof  put  on.  In  this  condition  the  building  was  used  for  a 
town  meeting,  July  15,  1779,  for  the  first  time,  and  thenceforth  was 
habitually  so  used  except  in  the  coldest  winter  months  when  town 
meetings  were  held  at  some  dwelling  house  near  by,  usually  at  Colonel 
Olcott 's,  where  they  had  previously  convened  since  1773.  During 
1779  roads  were  also  laid  out  from  different  points  in  town  centering 
at  the  meeting  house.  Among  the  most  important  of  these  was  one 
from  the  ferry  where  Hanover  Bridge  now  is  to  the  meeting  house, 

*Reverend  Isaiah  Potter,  brother  of  Lyman  Potter  and  the  first  minister  of  Lebanon, 
N.  H.,  was  settled  there  in  1773,  the  installation  services  taking  place  (August  25)  under  a 
large  elm  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  Connecticut. 


THE    FIRST    MEETING    HOUSE  65 

and  thence  throngh  the  town  to  Thetford  line.  These  roads,  which 
were  not  completed  for  some  time  after,  were  laid  by  a  special  com- 
mittee, chosen  for  the  purpose,  consistin^i-  of  John  Hatch,  surveyor, 
assisted  by  Abel  Curtis,  Philip  Smith,  Nathaniel  Brown  and  Gersham 
Bartlett. 

Nothing-  further  seems  to  have  been  done  on  the  meeting  house  until 
the  spring  of  1780,  when  at  a  town  meeting  held  April  21th,  a  Com- 
mittee was  chosen  consisting  of  Elisha  Burton,  Nath^  Brown  and  John 
Hopson,  "to  lay  out  the  subscriptions  raised  towards  furnishing  the 
meeting  house";  and  the  committee  were  directed  "to  finish  the  out- 
side of  the  building,  glaze  the  lower  part  if  possible,  lay  the  lower 
floor,  build  the  pulpit,  and  proceed  to  make  the  pews,  etc.,  if  there  be 
money  sufficient  raised. ' '  Lack  of  funds  doubtless  prevented  the  full 
execution  of  these  directions,  as  a  year  and  a  half  later  the  pews  at 
least  had  not  been  built,  and  a  proposition  was  accordingly  brought 
forward  and  adopted  in  town  meeting  Oct.  4,  1781,  to  sell  the  pews, 
or  the  "pew  ground,"  at  auction,  in  advance  of  their  construction. 
The  floor  of  the  house  was  then  divided  into  thirty  pew  spaces,  and 
twenty-six  of  these  were  sold  on  the  spot  at  prices  ranging  from  £8  to 
£31  each,  the  whole  amount  realized  from  the  sale  being  £472,  10 
shillings.  Only  a  small  part  of  this  gross  sum,  however,  was  available 
for  future  work,  since  purchasers  of  pews  were  to  be  credited  on  their 
payments  for  vs'hatever  money  or  materials  or  labor  each  one  had  pre- 
viously contributed  towards  the  building  of  the  meeting  house.  Enough 
was  obtained  for  the  immediate  purpose,  and  accordingly  the  pews 
were  put  in  early  in  the  following  year.  At  the  sale  of  the  pews  it 
had  been  agreed  that  three  families  should  occupy  each  pew,  but 
this  arrangement  soon  proved  unsatisfactory,  and  a  town  meeting  was 
called  by  the  m.eeting  house  committee  Sept.  3,  1782,  at  which  the 
following  action  was  taken : 

"Whereas,  it  is  found  that  to  have  only  three  Families  in  a  pew,  as 
was  formerly  proposed,  will  not  accommodate  the  whole  of  the  families 
in  town  with  seats;  therefore 

' '  Voted  that  five  Families  be  desired  to  sit  in  each  of  the  Pews  in  the 
meeting  house,  which  have  been  or  are  to  be  sold,  except  the  five 
smallest  pews,  in  which  four  families  are  to  be  accommodated." 

The  pews  in  this  meeting  house  were  undoubtedly  built  in  the  large. 


66  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

square  form  prevalent  in  those  times,  but  to  think  of  five  families  of 
the  size  then  common  stowed  away  in  a  single  pew,  and  to  recall  the 
then  almost  universal  habit  of  church  attendance,  suggests  a  density 
of  population  quite  unknown  to  our  day.  In  the  summer  of  1784  the 
seating  capacity  of  the  meeting  house  was  considerably  enlarged  by  the 
finishing  of  the  gallery  and  the  building  of  fourteen  pews  therein. 
Glass  windows  were  then  put  into  the  gallery  for  the  first  time.  i\Ieas- 
ures  were  also  taken  the  same  season  for  the  substantial  completion  of 
the  whole  interior  of  the  building-.  At  a  town  meeting  held  in  con- 
nection with  Freeman's  Meeting,  Sept.  7,  1784,  it  was  voted  "that  the 
Meeting  house  be  finished  off  by  lathing  and  plastering  and  whitewash- 
ing the  walls  and  overhead."  Major  Burton,  the  chairman  of  the 
building  committee,  was  at  the  same  time  directed  "to  contract  with 
Lieut.  John  Hopson,  to  finish  the  meeting  house  completely,  and  to 
engage  him  the  sum  of  £100  for  the  same."  This  expenditure  had 
been  provided  for  by  the  sale  of  the  gallery  pews  by  vendue  the  April 
preceding,  which  realized  the  sum  of  £191-8s.-6d.  On  that  occasion 
purchasers  of  pews  w^ere  required  "to  give  their  notes  payable  next 
December  in  wheat  at  five  shillings  per  bushel,  for  such  sums  as  they 
may  be  sold  for. ' ' 

Probably  the  finishing  touches  were  not  given  to  the  meeting  house 
before  the  spring  of  1785.  Seven  years  had  it  been  in  building — seven 
dark  and  trying  years,  a  period  equal  to  that  required  for  building 
Solomon 's  temple.  Now  that  it  was  at  last  finished  and  stood  complete 
before  their  eyes,  our  fathers  may  be  pardoned  if  they  looked  upon 
the  work  of  their  hands  with  some  degree  of  pride  and  affection.  It 
was  reputed  at  that  time  to  be  the  best  meeting  house  in  the  State. 
Doubtless  there  followed  a  formal  dedication  of  the  structure  to  pub- 
lic and  pious  uses,  although  no  record  or  tradition  of  such  an  event 
has  come  to  our  notice :  still  one  might  say  it  was  already  dedicated 
in  a  higher  sense  through  the  self-denying  spirit  and  the  consecration 
of  purpose  that  had  wrought  so  long  and  so  valiantly  for  it.  The 
whole  cost  of  the  house  was  computed  to  be  £694,  or  about  $2,300  of 
our  money.  Yevy  little  money,  however,  was  used  in  its  construction, 
which  was  carried  on  almost  entirely  by  means  of  direct  contributions 
of  labor  and  materials  furnished  by  the  townspeople. 

A  notable  event  in  the  history  of  the  town  soon  occurred  to  signalize 


STATE    LEGISLATURE    MEETS    AT    NORWICH  67 

the  completion  of  the  new  meetin<>'  house — the  meeting  of  the  Vermont 
Legishiture  at  Norwich  for  an  adjourned  session,  in  June,  1785.  This 
body  then  consisted  of  a  Council  of  twelve  members,  and  a  House  of 
Representatives  of  about  100.  Only  about  sixty  members  of  the  lower 
house  appear  to  have  been  in  attendance  at  this  session,  which  lasted 
sixteen  days  («June  2-18).  The  representatives  assembled  in  the  meet- 
ing house  for  their  daily  sittings,  while  the  Council  were  accommo- 
dated at  the  house  of  Daniel  Buck  close  at  hand.  Peter  Olcott  and 
Thomas  IMurdoek  of  Norwich  were  members  of  the  Council  at  this 
time,  and  Elisha  Burton  and  Elijah  Gates  represented  the  town  in 
the  assembly,  the  state  constitution  then  allowing  two  representatives 
to  such  towns  as  contained  over  eighty  taxable  inhabitants.  Daniel 
Buck,  a  young  lawyer  just  settled  in  town,  was  chosen  Secretary  pro 
iem  of  the  Council.  Other  members  of  the  Council  present  were  Ira 
Allen,  then  also  treasurer  of  the  state  (this  was  not  Colonel  Allen's 
first  visit  to  Norwich  on  a  political  mission)  :  and  Moses  Eobinson  o? 
Bennington,  who  succeeded  Thomas  Chittenden  as  governor  four  years 
later,  who  had  already  served  five  years  as  chief  judge  of  the  Suprem? 
Court  of  the  State,  and  who  was  elected  in  1791  one  of  the  first  Ver- 
mont senators  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  Hon.  Paul 
Spooner  of  Hartland,  as  Lieutenant  Governor,  was  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  Council.  John  Throop  of  Pomfret,  three  years  a  Supreme 
Court  judge,  and  Benjamin  Emmons  of  Woodstock  were  also  mem- 
bers. The  Speaker  of  the  assembly  was  Nathaniel  Niles  of  Fairlee. 
Speaker  Niles  was  then  serving  his  second  term  as  judge  of  the  Su- 
prem.e  Court  and  was  soon  to  be  chosen  the  first  representative  in 
Congress  from  the  Eastern  District  of  the  State.  On  the  floor  of  that 
house  were  manv  of  the  strong  men  whose  names  illuminate  the  earlv 
history  of  Vermont.  Among  them  was  Stephen  R.  Bradley  of  West- 
minster, thrice  chosen  U.  S.  Senator  from  Vermont,  and  that  staunch 
Federalist,  Isaac  Tichenor,  twice  chosen  to  the  same  office  and  eleven 
years  governor.  There  also  were  Nathaniel  Chipman,  afterwards  six 
years  a  senator  in  Congress,  and  six  years  judge  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State,  three  of  which  he  was  chief  judge;  and  Samuel  Knight 
of  Brattleboro,  four  years  judge  in  the  same  court  and  three  years 
chief  judge.     Joshua   Hazen  and  Wm.   Tilden  were   representatives 


68  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

from  Hartford  at  this  session,  Beriali  Loomis  from  Thetford,  and 
Roger  Enos  and  William  Gallup  from  Hartland. 

It  needs  a  lively  imagination  for  one  who  stands  to-day  on  that 
naked  and  desolate  hilltop,  to  carry  back  the  mind  and  picture  to 
oneself  the  scene  presented  at  the  gathering  of  the  Vermont  legislature 
more  than  one  hundred  years  ago,  on  that  now  lonely  spot.  History 
records  that  the  ceremonies  usual  to  such  occasions  were  not  omitted — 
that  the  governor,  lieutenant  governor,  and  other  prominent  officials 
came  to  town  attended  by  a  cavalry  escort,  and  were  received  by  a 
body  of  the  local  militia  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Paul  Brigham. 
The  whole  number  of  members  and  officers  belonging  to  the  legislature 
probabh^  did  not  exceed  100.  One  almost  wonders  where  even  these 
found  comfortable  lodgings,  as  nowhere  in  town  was  there  a  regular 
hotel,  or  any  collection  of  dwellings  that  would  even  suggest  the  idea 
of  a  village.  ''Burton's  Plain,"  as  the  site  of  Norwich  village  was 
then  called,  possessed  only  three  or  four  houses.  But  the  reputation 
of  the  town  for  hospitality  was  good,  and  the  distinguished  strangers 
who  did  not  find  entertainment  at  the  homes  of  the  resident  legis- 
lators, were  probably  quartered  at  the  nearest  farmhouses.  Members 
of  the  legislature  did  not  journey  to  the  capital  in  Pullman  cars  in 
those  days,  but  on  horseback  with  such  baggage  only  as  could  be 
carried  in  a  pair  of  saddlebags.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  first  four-wheeled 
carriage  had  then  rolled  into  Norwich.  It  is  possible  that  Colonel 
Olcott  and  one  or  two  others  might  have  owned  a  chaise.  Such  roads 
as  then  existed  were  mere  cart  tracks  through  the  woods,  emerging 
here  and  there  into  a  narrow  clearing  full  of  blackened  tree  stumps. 

A  number  of  important  measures  were  enacted  into  law  during  the 
brief  session  of  the  legislature  at  Norwich.  Questions  of  greater  mag- 
nitude or  wider  interest  have  seldom  come  before  our  legislative  bodies 
in  later  years.  Vermont  was  at  that  time  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
an  independent  sovereignty.  Congress  had  rudely  repelled  her  over- 
tures for  admission  into  the  Confederacy  of  States.  Her  legislators 
had  to  attend  not  only  to  local  affairs  but  to  the  international  rela- 
tions of  the  state  as  well.  On  June  7,  Colonel  Ira  Allen  submitted  to 
the  legislature  a  report  of  his  mission  to  Canada  the  previous  winter 
for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  with  the  government  of  the  Province 
of  Quebec  a  treaty  for  the  establishment  of  a  free  trade  to  and  through 


I'HE    FIRST    MEETING    HOUSE  69 

that  province  to  the  countries  of  Europe,  and  in  furtherance  of  this 
end  to  secure  the  cutting-  of  a  ship-canal  to  connect  the  waters  of  Lake 
Champlain  with  those  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  An  act  was  passed  grant- 
ing to  Eeuben  Harmon,  Jr.,  the  right  to  coin  hard  money.  The  same 
legislature  passed  a  naturalization  act,  laws  for  the  establishment  of 
post  offices  and  mail  routes,  and  other  acts  of  sovereignty.  A  township 
of  land  was  granted  to  Dartmouth  College  and  Moor's  Charity  School, 
the  rents  and  profits  of  which  were  devoted  to  ' '  the  use  of  said  college 
and  school  forever."  A  law  called  the  "Betterment  Act,"  which  had 
been  debated  for  several  sessions,  and  upon  which  public  opinion  was 
much  divided,  received  its  final  shape  at  this  session.  This  measure 
secured  to  actual  settlers  the  value  of  their  improvements  in  cases 
where  the  titles  to  their  lands  proved  defective.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  Norwich  representatives  took  opposite  views  of  its  merits, 
]\Ir.  Burton  voting  for  the  bill  on  its  passage  and  Mr.  Gates  against  it. 
Among  acts  of  local  interest  passed  at  this  session  was  the  incorpor- 
ation of  the  Windsor  County  Grammar  School  and  its  location  at 
Norwich,  where  it  remained  until  its  removal  to  Royalton  in  1807. 
A  tax  of  three  pence  per  acre  upon  all  private  lands  in  Thetford  was 
voted  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  meeting  house  in  said  town. 

"The  Ministerial  Act,"  as  it  was  called,  for  the  building  of  meet- 
ing houses  and  the  support  of  preaching  by  a  tax  upon  the  property 
and  polls  of  the  inhabitants  of  towns,  was  passed  by  the  legislature  of 
Vermont  at  its  session  at  Westminster,  in  October,  1783.  The  Nor- 
wich meeting  house  had  been  built,  as  we  have  seen,  wholly  by  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  the  people.  It  was  decided,  however,  in 
the  fall  of  1785,  that  the  cost  of  the  building  should  be  assumed  by 
the  town,  under  the  provisions  of  this  law,  and  so  become  the  town's 
property.  At  a  special  town  meeting  held  for  that  purpose,  on  the 
first  Tuesday  of  October,  it  was  accordingly  voted:  "That  the  sum  of 
£694,  Lawful  ]\Ioney,  be  raised  by  a  Tax  on  the  Polls  and  Rateable 
Estates  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Norwich,  upon  the  List  of 
1784  (excepting  those  who  are  of  a  Different  Sentiment  from  those 
who  meet  at  this  House  for  Public  Worship)  ;  which  Tax  as  aforesaid 
shall  be  paid  in  hard  money,  wheat  at  five  shillings  per  bushel  or  other 
grain  equivalent,  pork  or  beef  at  the  market  price,  or  certificates  from 
the  Committee  who  have  had  the  care  of  building  the  Meeting  house, 


^0  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

that  they  have  paid  such  sums  as  are  specified  in  s<^  certificates,  for 
pews  and  seats  in  said  House— which  certificates  shall  be  taken  by  the 
collectors  for  his,  her  or  their  rates."  In  the  impoverished  condition 
of  the  country  at  that  time,  such  a  tax  must  have  been  a  serious  matter 
to  those  persons  who  had  not  contributed  to  the  building  of  the  meet- 
ing house,  and  especially  as  a  subsequent  vote  required  its  payment 
into  the  treasurv  within  one  month.  The  avails  of  the  tax  were  of 
course  very  largely  in  the  form  of  outstanding  certificates,  but  it  re- 
sulted in  an  equalization  of  the  expense  of  building  the  meeting  house 
upon  the  whole  town.  Such  as  had  paid  by  voluntary  contributions 
more  than  an  equal  share,  according  to  their  several  lists,  had  such 
excess  repaid  to  them,  unless  they  chose  to  retain  the  pews  which  th  y 
had  bought,  in  which  case  nothing  was  repaid. 

The  meeting  house  having  thus  become  the  property  of  the  town,  a 
general  redistribution  of  seats  was  made  necessary.  This  w^as  effected 
by  a  committee  of  seven  men  chosen  for  that  purpose,  consisting  of 
Samuel  Hutchinson,  Hezekiah  Johnson,  Thomas  ]\Iurdock,  Jacob  Bur- 
ton, John  Burnap,  Paul  Brigham  and  Elisha  Burton.  It  was  voted 
that  the  rule  to  be  observed  in  seating  the  congregation  should  be  age 
and  interest- — an  arrangement  that  probably  brought  the  older  people 
into  the  front  seats,  and  gave  some  degree  of  choice  to  the  larger  tax- 
payers. 

The  "Ministerial  Act,"  so  called,  was  maintained  in  full  force  in 
Vermont  until  1801.  when  it  was  essentially  modified.  During  this 
period,  which  covered  the  whole  of  Rev.  ^Ir.  Potter's  ministry  in  Nor- 
wich, the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  practically  united  in  the  ob- 
servances of  religion,  and  were  constantly  and  statedly  assembled 
under  one  roof  for  worship  and  religious  instruction.  For  twenty 
years,  beginning  in  1781,  the  salary  of  Mr.  Potter  (usually  fixed  at 
£75)  was  annually  voted  in  town  meeting,  a  special  tax  therefor  made 
on  the  grand  list  of  the  taxpayers  of  the  town,  and  its  collection 
rigidly  enforced  against  all  who  failed  to  show  that  they  were  com- 
municants of  another  and  different  church.  Proof  of  this  was  re- 
quired by  the  production  of  an  authentic  certificate  from  the  clerk  or 
other  officer  of  such  church,  setting  forth  the  fact  of  such  member- 
ship, and  was  available  as  a  n.atter  of  fact  only  to  a  few  Baptists 
living  mostly  in  the  western  part  of  the  town.    Church  and  State  were 


THE    FIRST    MEETING    HOUSE  fl 

in  close  alliance  and  walked  hand  in  hand.  Sunday  after  Sunday 
and  year  after  year,  in  summer  and  winter,  great  congregations  of  old 
and  young,  rich  and  poor,  were  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  town, 
where  the  tabernacle  of  their  faith  had  been  set  up,  there  to  participate 
in  a  common  service  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  to  excl\ange  friendly 
greetings  with  neighbors  and  townsfolk. 

Even  the  accessories  of  worship,  such  as  music,  were  carefully  pro- 
vided for  in  town  meeting.  It  is  interesting  to  read,  upon  the  pages 
that  record  the  business  transacted  by  our  ancestors  on  such  occasions, 
entries  like  the  following:  "]\Ir.  Benjamin  Hatch  requested  that  some 
Persons  be  appointed  to  asdst  in  tuning  the  psalm  on  Sundays,  etc. 
Voted,  that  ]\P".  Benj.  Burton,  j\P".  Joel  Stimson,  and  I\P'  John  Burton 
be  desired  to  assist  as  choristers. ' '  At  the  annual  March  meeting  in 
1791,  it  was  voted  "that  there  be  a  Committee  of  five  to  promote 
singing  the  year  ensuing,  by  taking  in  subscriptions,  etc.  Chose  Sam^ 
Hutchinson,  John  Hatch,  Jr.,  Constant  Murdock,  Hezekiah  Goodrich 
and  Bliss  Thatcher  such  committee." 

No  data  have  been  found  showing  the  dimensions  upon  the  ground 
or  the  seating  capacity  of  the  first  meeting  house.  As  originally  built 
it  contained  upwards  of  forty  pews,  upon  the  floor  and  in  the  gallery. 
Probably  ten  persons  to  a  pew  would  not  be  thought  an  excessive  al- 
lowance for  its  seating  capacity.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the  build- 
ing was  often  made  to  accommodate  (by  the  aid  of  movable  seats  or 
otherwise)  a  much  larger  number.  It  was  a  substantial  frame  build- 
ing, clapboarded  without  and  plainly  finished  within,  but  without 
steeple  or  bell.  One  who  remembers  it  well  as  it  appeared  in  the  days 
of  his  boyhood,  thinks  the  outside  at  least  was  never  painted ;  but 
it  appears  from  the  town  records  that  in  December,  1791,  a  tax  of 
£50  was  levied  for  that  purpose,  ' '  S^  tax  to  be  paid  one  half  in  wheat 
and  one  half  in  flaxseed  at  cash  price."  At  the  same  time  it  was 
voted  ''to  have  the  Meeting  house  underpinned  with  as  good  natural- 
faced  stone  and  pointed  with  lime  mortar  as  the  Chapel  at  the  Col- 
lege,— with  good  stone  steps,  well  faced  with  as  good  stone  as  can  be 
provided  in  this  town."  As  was  usual  in  the  New  England  meeting 
houses  of  its  time,  there  was  no  provision  for  heating  in  winter,  what- 
ever artificial  heat  was  enjoyed  by  its  occupants  being  derived  from 


^2  HISTORY    OF  NORWICH 

the  diminutive  foot-stoves  that  our  great-grandmothers  carried  with 
them  to  church. 

It  is  not  strange  that  having  served  its  purpose  for  nearly  forty 
years,  the  meeting  house  should  come  to  be  considered  a  little  anti- 
quated and  a  demand  arise  for  something  better.  Since  its  foundations 
were  laid  in  1778,  the  town  had  more  than  doubled  in  population  and 
in  wealth.  A  ne^v  minister,  Rev.  James  W.  Woodward,  had  been  set- 
tled in  1804  as  the  successor  of  Mr.  Potter,  and  though  supported  only 
by  the  voluntary  offerings  of  the  congregation,  had  succeeded  after  a 
ministry  of  a  dozen  years  to  more  than  the  esteem  and  regard  bestowed 
upon  his  predecessor.  The  desire  for  improvement  took  shape  in  the 
summer  of  1817,  in  the  erection  of  a  new  and  more  commodious  meet- 
ing house  (40  by  60  feet  on  the  ground),  near  the  site  of  the  old  one. 
On  the  24th  of  December  that  historic  old  building  wherein  the  pious 
aspirations  of  two  generations  of  worshippers  had  found  a  voice,  and 
where  the  fathers  of  the  town  had  so  often  formulated  their  ideas  of 
civil  policy  in  town  and  state — a  building  that  to  Norwich  stood  for 
all  that  Faneuil  Hall  and  the  Old  South  Church  together  stood  to 
Boston — was  sold  to  Constant  Murdock,  the  highest  bidder,  for  $100. 
The  Sunday  following  (Dec.  28,  1817)  services  w^ere  held  in  it  for  the 
last  time.  A  commemorative  discourse  was  pronounced  by  the  pastor, 
j\fr.  Woodward,  on  that  occasion,  a  few  passages  from  which,  charac- 
teristic of  the  speaker  and  well  befitting  the  hour,  we  gladly  quote : 
"Towards  this  house,"  said  Mr.  W.,  "which  for  the  space  of  nearly 
forty  years  has  been  devoted  to  religious  uses,  with  those  who  have 
here  united  in  divine  worship,  peculiar  emotions  must  be  excited  whilst 
we  are  met  for  the  last  time  within  its  sacred  walls.  Who,  that  ever 
received  pleasure  in  a  visit  to  this  sanctuary,  in  reflecting  upon  the 
times  in  which  he  has  ascended  this  hill  of  the  Lord,  must  not  be  ready 
to  acknowledge  his  attachment  to  its  homely  walls? 

"In  reflecting  upon  past  scenes  it  will  be  natural  to  call  to  mind 
the  names  of  those  who  have  met  with  us  in  this  place.  Of  those  who 
were  concerned  in  the  building  of  this  house,  or  were  original  pro- 
prietors, the  greater  part  have  fallen  asleep.  We  may  here  and  there 
behold  one  who  saw  in  youth  its  early  glory  while  it  stood  encircled 
by  the  forest.  A  few  hoary  heads  are  still  waiting  at  this  gate  of  wis- 
dom, whose  ears  were  addressed  by  the  first  messages  of  God  communi- 


EXTRACTS  FROM    COMMEMORATIVE   DISCOURSE  ^3 

cated  from  this  desk.  The  most  of  their  contemporaries  are  gone. 
Among  the  early  occupants  who  have  died,  are  the  names  of  AA^ater- 
man,  Bartlett,  Olcott,  Hatch,  Richards,  Partridge,  Hutchinson, 
Smalley,  Boardman,  Alurdock,  LoveUuid,  Bush,  Burton,  Hopson, 
Brown,  Goodrich,  Stimson,  Morse,  Percival,  AVright,  Thatcher.  Their 
places  have  been  filled  by  their  successors,  many  of  whom  also  have 
gone  the  way  of  their  fathers,  from  which  there  is  no  return.  *  *  * 
The  whole  number  of  which  the  church  has  been  composed  is  a  little 
less  than  300.  Of  seven  deacons,  successively  chosen  to  officiate  in  its 
temporal  concerns,  four  have  died — Joseph  Smalley,  John  Burnap, 
Nathaniel  Brown  and  Jonas  Boardman. 

''This  house  is  endeared  to  me  by  a  thousand  recollections  of  which 
I  have  been  the  unworthy  partaker.  Has  any  benefit  accrued  from 
my  labors,  this  you  should  refer  to  the  giver  of  every  good  and  per- 
fect gift.  For  I  consider  it  among  the  choicest  mercies  of  my  life, 
if  I  have  been  used  as  an  instrument  in  any  degree  of  promoting  your 
Spiritual  welfare.  *  *  *  *  Let  us  never  forget,  my  hearers,  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord.  If  we  are  ever  permitted  to  tread  the  ground 
upon  which  this  house  now  stands,  let  us  revere  this  spot  of  earth 
from  the  remembrance  of  the  merciful  kindness  of  God  to  us  and  to 
our  fathers  who  have  frequented  this  holy  tabernacle." 


CHAPTER  VIII 


CHURCH  HISTORY  CONCLUDED 

The  present  meeting  house  at  Norwich  Plain*  was  built  in  1817,  and 
dedicated  November  20th  of  the  same  year.  On  the  following  day, 
Reverend  R.  W.  Bailey  Avas  ordained  pastor  and  continued  as  such  till 
November,  1823,  when  he  was  dismissed.  The  ordination  sermon  was 
preached  by  Nathan  Perkins,  Jr.,  A.  M.,  pastor  of  the  Second  Church 
in  Amherst,  Mass.,  from  Isaiah  lxii,  6-7. — "I  have  set  watchmen 
upon  thy  walls,  O  Jerusalem,  which  shall  never  hold  their  peace 
day  nor  night :  ye  that  make  mention  of  the  Lord,  keep  not  silence,  and 
give  him  no  rest  till  he  establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise 
in  the  earth."  Mr.  Bailey  was  afterwards  settled  in  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
and  later  became  president  of  Austin  College,  Texas. 

The  church,  which  consisted  at  its  organization  of  only  eleven  mem- 
bers, was  quite  small  at  the  outset,  increased  during  the  ministry  of 
Mr.  Bailey  to  an  aggregate  of  forty-seven  members. 

After  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Bailey,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rever- 
ends James  W.  Woodward  and  J.  R.  Wheelock,  and  by  Reverend  Doc- 
tor Roswell  Shurtleff  till  December,  1831,  when  Reverend  Thomas 
Hall  was  installed  pastor  and  continued  with  the  church  about  three 
vears.  Under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Wheelock  thirtv-three,  and  during 
that  of  Mr.  Hall  nineteen  members  were  added  to  the  church. 

After  1834  Reverend  Doctor  Shurtleff  again  supplied  the  church, 
preaching  for  about  six  years.  During  the  ministry  of  Doctor  Shurt- 
leff there  were  two  considerable  revivals  of  religion,  one  in  IMarcli, 
1835,   conducted    by    the    famous    Jedediah    Burchard,     continuing 

*The  writer  is  informed  that  the  architect  of  the  building  was  Ammi  B.  Young,  who 
planned  the  additions  to  the  White  House  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


MEETING    HOUSE    AT    NORWICH     PLAIN  75 

eighteen  days,  the  second  in  June,  1839,  under  the  direction  of  Rev- 
erend Sherman  Kelloofo-.  During  Doctor  Shurtleff's  ministry  116 
members  were  added  to  the  church. 

From  1810  to  1853  the  church  had  no  permanent  minister,  the  pul- 
pit being  supplied  mainly  "by  Reverends  J.  D.  Butler,  Sherman  Kel- 
logg, David  Kimball,  and.  Professors  Haddock,  Noyes  and  Brown  of 
Dartmouth  College. 

In  181:4,  on  the  dissolution  of  the  church  at  North  Hartford,  twelve 
of  its  members  became  united  with  the  church  at  Norwich.  On  Jan. 
2,  1855,  Reverend  A.  G.  Pease  was  duly  installed  pastor  of  the  church, 
and  so  continued  till  July,  1857,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Reverend 
S.  W.  Boardman,  who  continued  till  September,  1859,  to  be  followed 
by  Reverend  Austin  Hazen  (March  28,  1860).  Mr.  Hazen  was  dis- 
missed ]\Iarch  24,  1864. 

Mr.  Pease  and  ]Mr.  Boardman  were  dismissed  at  their  own  request, 
the  former  on  account  of  continued  ill  health  and  the  latter  to  accept 
a  professorship  in  JMiddlebury  College. 

The  dissolution  of  the  North  Church  in  1854  resulted  in  a  large 
accession  to  the  church  at  Norwich  Plain,  amounting  to  over  sixty 
members.  During  the  ministry  of  ]\Ir.  Hazen  twenty-three  united 
w^ith  the  church.  In  1859  the  total  membership  of  this  church  had 
increased  to  261  persons. 

The  church  was  again  supplied  with  preaching  mostly  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  Professors  of  Dartmouth  College,  until  June,  1865,  when 
Reverend  William  Sewall,  then  of  Lunenburg,  Vt.,  was  invited  to  sup- 
ply the  pulpit.  The  services  of  Mr.  Sewall  proving  acceptable,  he  was 
duly  installed  as  minister  Sept.  27,  1866.  His  connection  with  the 
church  continued  till  Oct.  27,  1876,  during  which  time  there  were  more 
than  one  hundred  names  added  to  the  church  (sixty-two  by  profession 
and  forty-seven  by  letter). 

From  the  last  mentioned  date  the  church  has  been  supplied  by  Rev- 
erends G.  F.  Humphrey  (1876),  Allen  Hazen  (1877-78),  and  for 
briefer  periods  by  other  clergymen,  and  occasionally  by  professors 
from  Dartmouth  College. 

Reverend  N.  R.  Nichols  was  acting  pastor  and  pastor  of  the  church 
from  February,  1880,  until  his  dismissal  in  1904.  During  his  ministry 
195  persons  united  with  the  church. 


76  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

The  meeting  house  was  first  located  on  the  east  side  of  Main  Street 
(opposite  the  present  residence  of  Samuel  A.  Armstrong),  and  front- 
ing thereon.  There  it  remained  until  1852,  when  it  was  moved  to  its 
present  location. 


"In  the  winter  of  1817,  Joseph  Emersoh  and  others  on  the  Plain 
were  very  active  in  getting  subscriptions  for  a  new  meeting-house 
and  in  getting  out  timber  with  which  to  build  it. 

"The  subscriptions  were  obtained  on  condition  that  the  house  be  built 
north  of  Mr.  John  Emerson's.  In  the  meantime  those  in  favor  of 
building  on  the  old  spot  had  appointed  a  Committee  who  were  en- 
deavoring to  contract  with  some  one  for  an  amount  of  brick  sufficient 
to  build  a  meeting-house. 

' '  Some  of  the  Committee  on  the  Plain  beginning  to  be  afraid  of  in- 
volving themselves  too  deeply,  proposed  selling  out  the  frame  then 
ready  to  raise.  The  bargain  was  soon  closed  at  the  price  of  £1,000, — 
the  Plain  Committee  making  a  verbal  agreement  to  come  forward  and 
buy  pews  and  not  to  build  another  house." — Church  Records,  Vol.  2, 
p.  130. 


The  Congregational  Church  of  Norwich  is  among  the  oldest  of  the 
Congregational  churches  of  Vermont,  only  four  others  having  preceded 
it  in  the  date  of  their  organization,  viz. :  those  of  Bennington,  New- 
l)ury,  Westminster,  and  Windsor.  It  was  the  earliest  and  for  many 
years  the  only  ecclesiastical  organization  in  town.  Some  of  the  first 
settlers  had  been  members  of  this  church  in  Connecticut  before  set- 
tling here.  These  would  naturally  associate  themselves  for  public 
worship,  and  as  early  as  June,  1770,  by  the  aid,  it  is  said,  of  Reverend 
Peter  Powers,  the  pioneer  minister  of  Newbury,  the  nucleus  of  a 
church  was  gathered,  consisting  at  the  beginning  of  about  a  dozen 
members.  Joseph  Smalley  and  John  Burnap  were  the  first  deacons. 
August  31,  1775,  Reverend  Lyman  Potter,  a  native  of  Plymouth, 
Conn.,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  in  1772,  was  installed  over  the 
church,  at  that  time  consisting  of  thirty-six  persons.  Before  the  settle- 
ment of  Mr.  Potter,  the  Norwich  people  had  attended  religious  services 
at  North  Hanover  and  at  the  College.  Women  and  children  walked 
from  three  to  six  miles  to  attend  these  meetings.     Mr.  Potter  was 


CONGREGATIO>JAL   CHURCH,   NORWICH    VILLAGE 
(ERFXTED   IN    1817) 


THE  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH  OF  NORWICH  'J'J 

ordained  in  the  open  woods,  upon  the  site  of  the  old  cemetery  on  the 
hill,  near  the  place  where  the  first  meeting  house  was  built  some 
years  later. 

Up  to  the  year  1784,  meetings  were  held  at  private  houses,  barns, 
or  in  the  open  air,  according  to  the  season  or  as  seemed  most  con- 
venient. A  large  barn  erected  by  Colonel  Peter  Olcott  was  much  used 
for  this  purpose.  In  the  year  mentioned  the  meeting  hause  was  so  near 
complete  as  to  be  used  for  meetings.  The  ministry  of  Mr.  Potter  con- 
tinued twenty-six  years,  until  his  dismission  in  1801.  Two  revivals 
of  religion  are  mentioned  as  occurring  during  his  pastorate,  the  first 
soon  after  his  settlement  when  about  forty  persons  were  added  to  the 
church,  and  the  second  in  the  years  1780-81,  when  an  extensive  re- 
vival prevailed  at  Dartmouth  College  and  in  all  the  towns  of  the 
region.  At  the  time  of  his  dismission  the  total  membership  was  about 
one  hundred.  Only  a  few  fragments  of  the  church  records  during 
Mr.  Potter's  ministry  have  been  preserved.  These  with  the  somewhat 
fuller  records  of  his  successors  in  the  old  North  Church  have  recently 
been  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  town  clerk. 

After  the  dismission  of  ]Mr.  Potter  in  1801  the  church  was  without 
a  settled  minister  for  about  three  years,  during  which  time  preaching 
was  supplied  chiefly  by  Professor  Shurtleff,  then  a  tutor  in  Dartmouth 
College  and  by  Reverend  Mr.  Waters.  Sept.  4,  1804,  Reverend  James 
W.  Woodward  was  installed  over  the  church  and  continued  to  act  as 
pastor  until  June  8,  1821.  During  the  period  of  Mr.  Woodward's 
service  manv  of  the  oris:inal  and  earlv  members  of  the  church  were 
removed  by  death,  and  there  was  a  large  emigration  from  town  to 
northern  Vermont,  to  New  York  state  and  the  farther  West,  especially 
from  among  the  young  people.  There  were  several  seasons  of  unusual 
interest  but  no  general  revival  of  religion  while  Mr.  Woodward  was 
pastor.  In  1808,  nineteen  were  added  to  the  church  and  in  1817,  four- 
teen ;  and  about  fifty  were  admitted  by  profession  during  his  ministry. 
The  benevolent  disposition  and  scholarly  graces  of  ]\Ir.  Woodward 
made  him  universally  respected  and  beloved.  A  man  of  singular 
purity  of  character  and  life,  his  name  still  lingers  among  the  older 
inhabitants  of  the  town — a  tender  and  fragrant  memory. 

Towards  the  close  of  jMr.  Woodward's  ministrv  an  unfortunate 
controversy  arose  respecting  the  location  of  a  new  meeting  house, 


yS  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

which  resulted  after  a  heated  contest  and  considerable  bitterness  of 
feeling  in  the  building  of  two  church  edifices,  one  near  the  site  of  the 
first  meeting  house,  and  the  other  at  Norwich  Plain,  then  beginning 
to  put  on  the  appearance  of  a  rising  country  village  and  to  aspire 
to  become  the  business  center  of  the  town.  The  new  meeting  houses 
were  each  completed  for  occupation  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1817, 
the  one  at  the  Plain  being  dedicated  Nov.  20th,  and  the  other  Jan.  1, 
1818.  On  both  occasions  the  dedicatory  sermon  was  preached  by  Mr. 
Woodward.  The  division  of  the  congregation  soon  led,  however,  to 
the  formation  of  a  new  church,  known  as  the  South  Congregational 
Church  of  Norwich,  which  was  organized  June  19,  1819,  with  eleven 
members.  Soon  after,  about  twenty  more  were  dismissed  from  the 
North  Church  (as  the  original  church  was  thenceforward  called)  to 
join  the  church  at  the  Plain,  and  further  accessions  in  the  years  closely 
following  raised  the  new  organization  and  allied  society  to  very  re- 
spectable numerical  and  working  strength.  Still,  for  nearly  a  score 
of  years  later  the  North  Church  appears  to  have  held  the  precedence 
in  numbers  and  in  the  support  of  the  old  families  of  the  town.  Mr. 
Woodward  was  dismissed  from  this  church  June  8,  1821,  having  been 
settled  nearly  seventeen  years.  The  membership  was  then  about  the 
same  as  at  the  time  of  his  settlement,  one  hundred. 


Prior  to  the  year  1800,  Methodism  had  scarcely  gained  a  foothold  in 
Vermont.  The  first  Methodist  society  in  the  State  is  said  to  have  been 
formed  at  Vershire  by  Nicholas  Sucthen  in  1796.  Two  years  later, 
only  one  hundred  church  members  were  returned  as  residents  in  the 
Vershire  Circuit,  then  including  the  whole  of  eastern  Vermont.  Zadock 
Thompson,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  Gazetteer  of  Vermont,  published 
in  1824,  gives  the  number  of  preachers,  traveling  and  local,  at  that 
time  as  about  one  hundred,  and  the  number  of  societies  much  greater. 
Probably  no  religious  body  ever  made  so  rapid  a  growth  in  the  state 
or  the  country  as  did  the  Methodists  during  the  first  twenty-five  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Although  largely  outnumbering  every 
other  at  the  present  time,  its  later  rate  of  increase  is  comparatively 
slow. 

We  have  no  information  that  fixes  the  time  at  which  Methodist 
pieetings  began  to  be  held  in  Norwich.     The  earliest  preaching  wa^ 


METHODIST    MEETING-HOUSE,    BEAVER    MEADOW 
(BUILT   IN    1837) 


METHODISM     IN     NORWICH  79 

by  circuit  preachers,  and  of  these  Eleazer  Wells  and  Nathaniel  Stearns 
were  among  the  first.  Both  of  these  men  had  the  certificates  of  their 
ordination  to  the  ministry  (as  early  as  1810  or  1811)  by  Bishop  Mc- 
Kendree  entered  npon  the  town  records,  and  both  doubtless  labored 
here  more  or  less  about  that  time.  Rev.  Amasa  Taylor  was  also  here 
some  part  of  the  time  about  1813.  About  1815,  the  first  church 
buildino-  was  erected  by  the  Methodists — a  wooden  structure  of  modest 
dimensions,  which  stood  near  the  forks  of  the  highway  leading  from 
Union  Village  to  Norwich  Plain,  and  about  two  miles  south  of  the 
former  place.  Some  members  of  the  Waterman  family  were  among 
the  earliest  adherents  to  the  IMethodists  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 
The  Johnson  family  also  was  early  represented.  The  first  church 
building  continued  in  use  about  twenty  years.  In  1836,  the  present 
brick  church  at  Union  Village  was  built,  and  the  old  church  taker? 
down  and  converted  into  a  parsonage  at  that  place.  Here  Methodist 
meetings  have  been  regularly  supported  for  nearly  ninety  years.  The 
organization  is  styled  the  "jMethodist  Episcopal  Society  of  Norwich 
and  Thetford. "  The  number  of  families  at  present  worshipping  with 
the  society  is  about  150  from  Norwich  and  Thetford;  the  number  of 
scholars  in  Sabbath  school,  ninety.  Morrill  J.  Walker  was  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  society  from  1840  to  December  28,  1879,  when  A. 
V.  Turner  was  elected  secretary,  and  still  holds  that  office.  E.  M. 
Fullington  is  treasurer. 

Either  the  same  vear  or  the  vear  after  the  building  of  the  brick 
church  at  Union  Village  (in  1836  or  '37),  a  small  church  building  was 
completed  at  West  Norwich  (Beaver  Meadow),  the  better  to  accom- 
modate the  southern  and  western  parts  of  the  town,  with  adjacent 
portions  of  Sharon  and  Hartford.  Full  congregations  were  gathered 
here  for  many  years;  but  deaths  and  removals,  together  with  a  con- 
stant decline  in  population,  have  greatly  weakened  the  society  in  re- 
cent years.  Stated  meetings  were,  hoAvever,  continued  a  portion  of  the 
time  until  1884.  Calvin  Sawyer,  Esq.,  a  leading  member  of  this  so- 
ciety, died  in  1883,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

xVlthough  the  strength  of  the  Methodists  has  always  been  in  the 
northern  and  western  portions  of  the  tow^n,  several  prominent  clergy- 
men of  the  order  resided  at  the  Plain  between  1820  and  1840.  About 
1833-35,  Rev.  Amasa  Buck,  and  an  associate,  Moses  Lew^is,  supported 


8o 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


a  school  at  Norwich  Plain,  which  they  called  Franklin  Academy. 
Rev.  Zerah  Colburn,  the  great  mathematical  prodigy  in  early  life, 
resided  here  for  five  or  six  years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1840. 

No  assignment  of  resident  preachers  was  made  to  this  town  previous 
to  1822.  From  that  date,  we  have  compiled  out  of  the  records  of  the 
Conference,  and  by  the  assistance  of  Eev.  C.  H.  Walters  of  Union 
Villag'e,  a  complete  list,  it  is  believed,  of  the  ]\Iethodist  clergymen 
who  have  since  preached  for  any  considerable  time,  either  at  Norwich 
and  West  Norwich,  or  (since  1840)  at  Union  Village,  as  follows: 

At  Norwich  and  West  Norwich 


1822 — Eleazer  Wells  1847 

1823-25— Joseph  B.  White  1848 

1826 — Elijah  Spear  1849 

1827 — Caleb  Dustin,  Zerah  Colburn,  1850 

Elijah  Spear  1851 

1828 — Caleb  Dustin,  C.  W.  Levings  1853 

1829 — Russell  H.  Spaulding  1855 

1830 — J.  Cumraing,  C.  Granger  1856 

1831 — Henry    J.    Wooley,      James  1857 

Campbell,  Aurin  Gale  1859 

1832 — Washington  Wilcox,   C.  Lys-  i860 

comb  1862- 

1833 — Moses    Lewis,     Z.    Colburn,  1864- 

W.  J.  Kidder  1866 

1834 — Moses  Lewis,  Newell  Culver  1867- 

1835-6 — Sarhuel  Richardson  1868 

1837 — David  Wilcox,  Elisha  Adams  1870 

1838— Richard  Bedford,  Camp-  1871 

bell  1872 

1840 — Newell  Culver,  Jonas  Scott  1874 

1841 — Newell  Culver,  Lyman  Wing  1877 

1842— A  T.  Bullard,  H.  P.  Gushing  1878 

1843-44 — Henry  J.  Wooley  1880 

1845 — James  Smith  1882 
1846 — Perez  Mason,  CD.  Ingraham 


Perez  Mason,  J.  House 
J.  House 
Albert  Carter 
— Norman  Webster 

52 — Frederick  T.  Dailey 

54 — Erastus  Pettingill 
— John  LeSeur 

-Pliny  N.  Granger 

58— Othniel  R.  Edwards 

-Mulford  Bullard 

61 — N.  B.  Spaulding 

63 — John  S.  Little 

65— M.  R.  Chase 

-Dennis  Wells 

-M.  D.  Herrick 

69 — C,  S.  Buswell 

-D.  H.  Bicknell 

-J.  S.  Little 

73 — F.  T.  Lovett 

76 — Joseph  Enwright 

-L.  Dodd 

-David  Kilburn 

-C.  M.  Brown,  C.  P.  Flanders 

83— C.  H.  Walters 


At  Union  Village 


1841 — Ira  Beard 
1842 — William  Peck 
1843— Abel  Heath 


186S-69— C.  S.  Buswell 
1870— D.  H.  Bicknell 
1871— J.  S.  Little 


THE    BAPTISTS    IN    NORWICH  8l 

1844-45 — ^-  Gurnsey  1872-73 — F.  T.  Lovett 

1846 — P.  Mason,  C.  D.  Ingraham  1874-76 — J.  Enright 

1847— P.  Mason  1877-79— L.  Dodd 

1848— J.  L.  Smith  1880-81— C.  P.  Flanders 

1849— P.  Merrill  1882-84— C.  H.  Walters 

1850-51— S.  G.  Kellogg  1885-87— W.  A.  Bryant 

1852-53— D.  Wells  1888— G.  T.  Hedges 

1854— R.  H.  Spaulding  1889-92 — H,  F.  Forrest 

1844 — A.  L.  Pratt  1893 — J.  Narramore 

1856 — E.  Pettingill  1894-95 — H.  A.  Evans 

1857 — E.  Dickerman  1896-97 — J.  E.  Badger 

185S-59 — J.  LeSeur  1898 — T.  Robinson 

1860-61— W.  B.  Howard  1898— G.  Lawton 

1862-63 — J.  Enright  1900-1 — H,  N.  Roberts 

1864-66 — E.  Pettingill  1902 — J.  L.  Beeman 

1867 — H.  G.  Day  1903-5 — E.  C.  Charlton 


In  Norwich,  as  elseAvhere,  the  Baptists  were  the  first  of  the  dissenting- 
sects  to  contest  the  ground  with  the  dominant  New  England  ortho- 
doxy. Soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  town  we  find  mention  made 
of  Baptists  here,  and  it  is  probable  that  a  few  of  the  very  earliest 
settlers  were  of  that  faith. 

The  following  documents  are  transcribed  from  the  town  records : 

"WiLLiNGTON  [Ct.]  October  ye  6,  1780. 

"  This  may  Certify  all  Persons  whom  it  may  Concern  that  Calvin  Johnsen  of 
Willington  is  of  the  Babtist  Perswation  and  is  one  of  the  society  of  the  Babtist 
Church  in  said  Willington  and  is  ready  to  help  to  support  the  gospel  in  that  order. 

"  Andrew  Main,  Clerk." 

"  Willington,  September  24,  1784. 

"  This  may  certify  that  James  Johnsen  belonged  to  the  Babtist  society  and  his 
father  and  mother  are  Babtist. 

"  Signed  in  behalf  of  the  Church, 

"Andrew  Main,  Church  Clerk  " 

The  above  certificates  were  doubtless  procured  and  lodged  in  the 
town  clerk's  office  by  the  persons  whose  names  they  bear,  with,  a  view 
to  exempt  themselves  from  taxation  for  the  support  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Potter,  the  settled  minister  of  "the  standing  order"  in  the  town  at 
that  time,  as  well  as  to  relieve  them  from  expenses  for  the  building 
of  the  first  meeting-house  then  in  progress.     A  law  of  the  state  early 


SZ  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

made  taxation  for  these  purposes  compulsory  on  all  taxpayers  who 
did  not  thus  prove  their  connection  with  some  other  church  organiza- 
tion differing  in  religious  sentiments  from  the  majority  of  the  town. 
This  law,  called  the  ' '  ministerial  act, ' '  continued  in  force  till  the  year 
1801,  when  it  received  important  modifications  in  the  direction  of 
liberality  to  dissenters,  who  were  then  a  numerous  body  in  town.  It 
was  finally  repealed  in  1807,  since  which  time  all  religious  organiza- 
tions in  Vermont  have  depended  wholly  upon  voluntary  contributions 
for  their  support. 

As  early  as  1799  the  town  records  show  the  existence  of  an  organized 
society  of  Baptists  in  Norwich.  Asahel  Lewis  was  at  that  time  clerk 
of  the  society,  and  his  certificate  is  on  record  showing  the  following 
members:  Israel  Brown,  Elias  Partridge,  Jesse  Geer,  Jude  Allen, 
John  Lewis,  Baxter  Newton,  Eli  White,  William  Winslow,  Nicholas 
Allen,  William  Wade,  Amos  Phillips,  Martin  Brown,  Elisha  AVhite. 
Although  this  list  is  probably  far  from  complete,  the  society  was  never 
very  numerous  in  town,  nor  does  it  appear  ever  to  have  had  a  meet- 
ing house  or  a  settled  minister. 

A  Baptist  society  had  been  formed  in  the  north  part  of  Sharon  and 
adjacent  parts  of  Strafford  as  early  as  1792,  by  the  efforts  of  Eev. 
John  Hibbard,  a  pioneer  Baptist  missionary,  who,  it  is  probable, 
may  have  divided  his  time  to  some  extent  with  the  small  flock  in  Nor- 
wich. From  causes  unknown  to  the  writer,  the  Norwich  society  seems 
to  have  dissolved  early  in  the  century,  and  the  members,  in  many  in- 
stances, attached  themselves  to  the  Methodists,  after  the  formation  of 
a  Methodist  church  here. 

The  Sharon  Baptist  church  above  mentioned  appears  to  have 
possessed  a  stronger  vitality.  Under  the  ministrations  of  Rev.  James 
Parker  (a  deacon  of  the  church,  who  in  1805  had  been  ordained  as 
pastor,  and  was  thenceforward  actively  engaged  as  a  Baptist  preacher 
until  the  close  of  a  long  and  busy  life  in  1839)  the  church  held  its  own 
in  a  sort  of  nomadic  existence,  worshipping  in  schoolhouses  and  private 
dwellings  for  forty  years,  until  in  1833  it  built  a  small  but  tasteful 
meeting  house  at  West  Norwich  (Beaver  Meadow),  near  which  lo- 
cality a  considerable  portion  of  its  communicants  then  resided.  After 
the  death  of  Mr.  Parker,  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Herrick  supplied  the  church 
about  a  year,  and  was  formally  ordained  over  the  church  and  society 


EPISCOPAL   CHURCH,   NORWICH   VILLAGE 
ERECTED    1852 


THE    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH    AT    NORWICH  83 

in  1840.  Stated  meetings  continued  to  be  held  from  this  time  on- 
wai^d  for  tliirty  years,  during-  which  period  several  ministers  were 
settled  and  dismissed.  In  1871,  the  church  and  society  having  be- 
come much  weakened  from  deaths  and  removals,  meetings  were  dis- 
continued at  Beaver  ]\Ieadow,  and  the  following  year  the  society  per- 
manently removed  to  Sharon  village,  where  it  erected  its  second  meet- 
ing house  and  where  it  still  worships.  The  disused  church  building 
at  West  Norwich  was,  in  1875,  taken  down  and  the  materials  used 
in  the  construction  of  a  parsonage  at  Sharon.  During  the  thirty  yea:  s 
existence  of  the  church  at  Beaver  IMeadow,  about  125  persons  were 
added  to  its  membership.  A  list  of  Baptist  ministers  at  Beaver 
IMeadow,  with  their  terms  of  service  as  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
ascertain  them,  is  as  follows:  Rev.  James  Parker,  previous  to  1839; 
Rev.  J.  S.  Herrick,  1839-1842 ;  Rev.  J.  Crowley,  1842-1846 ;  Rev.  Philip 
Chamberlin,  1846-1860;  Rev.  A.  W.  Boardman,  1862- ;  Rev.  W.  L. 
Coburn,  1864-1865;  Rev.  C.  D.  Fuller,  1868-1869. 


A  small  Episcopal  church  was  organized  at  Norwich  as  early  as 
1835,  chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  Doctor  Ira  Davis.  Between 
1846  and  1850,  services  were  held  occasionally  in  different  parts  of 
the  town,  conducted  by  Professor  Hill  of  Dartmouth  College,  and 
others.  In  1851  Doctor  Edward  Bourne,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  be- 
came president  of  Norwich  University,  and  from  that  time  regular 
services  were  held  in  the  village  until  the  removal  of  the  University 
to  Northfield  in  1866, — first  in  the  chapel  of  the  University,  and  after 
1863  in  a  small  church  building  erected  that  year  just  south  of  the 
parade  ground  of  the  University.  This  edifice  was  provided  largely 
by  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Charlotte  Rogers,  daughter  of  Colonel  William 
Barron,  and  from  contributions  obtained  by  her  abroad.  *  Since  the 
removal  of  the  University,  Episcopal  services  have  been  held  but  oc- 
casionally in  Norwich,  the  completion  of  an  elegant  and  commodious 
church  edifice  at  Hanover  in  1874,  within  one  mile  of  the  village, 
rendering  it  easy  for  the  small  society  still  existing  here  to  attend 
worship  there. 

*For  several  years  services  have  been  held  regularly  up  to  the  present  time  — 1905. 


CHAPTER  IX 


NORWICH  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR 

The  sources  of  information  in  regard  to  the  part  taken  by  the  town 
in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  are  few  and  scanty.  The  earliest  al- 
lusion in  the  town  records  to  this  important  epoch  of  the  country's 
history,  is  found  in  the  election  of  a  Committee  of  Safety  at  the  annual 
town  meeting,  March  11,  1777.  This  committee  was  five  in  number : 
Deacon  Joseph  Smalley,  Samuel  Hutchinson,  John  Hatch,  Captain 
Hezekiah  Johnson  and  John  Hopson.  There  is  much  reason  to  be- 
lieve, however,  that  this  was  not  the  first  Committee  of  Safety  that 
acted  for  the  toAvn;  but  was  a  new  committee  selected  to  conform  to 
a  recommendation  made  to  the  towns  in  Cumberland  and  Gloucester 
Counties  by  the  Convention  at  Westminster  which  declared  the  inde- 
pendence of  Vermont  the  preceding  January.*  It  is  pretty  certain 
that  a  company  of  militia  was  organized  in  Norwich  as  early  as  the 
year  1774  or  1775.  Of  this  company  Peter  Olcott  was  chosen  Captain 
and  Thomas  j\Iurdock,  Ensign,  doubtless  by  the  votes  of  the  m,en  en- 
rolled in  the  same.  The  company  was  probably  a  purely  voluntary 
organization  of  patriotic  young  men,  in  Colonel  Seth  Warner's  regi- 
ment of  Rangers  in  1775,  in  the  continental  service.  Colonel  Timothy 
Bedell,  of  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  also  raised  a  regiment  the  same  year  for 
service  in  Canada.  Fresh  regiments  were  enlisted  early  in  the  spring 
of  1776,  by  both  Colonel  Bedell  and  Colonel  Warner.  Again  on  the 
7th  of  March  Colonel  IMorey  writes  to  the  New  Hampshire  Committee 
of  Safety:  "Some  recruiting  officers  from  Colonel  Warner's  party 
[regiment]  have  enlisted  a  considerable  number  of  fine  men — they  had 
the  money  to  pay  bounties"  (forty  shillings  to  each  man).  Probably 
Norwich  contributed  more  or  less  to  fill  the  ranks  of  each  of  the  above 
named  military  bodies,  though  their  names  and  number  cannot  now 
be  ascertained.     At  this  time  and  during  most  of  the  Revolutionary 

*Governor  and  Council,  Vol.  I,  p.  47. 


^JORWICH   IN   THE   REVOLUTIONARY   WAR  8^ 

War,  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  seem  to  have  been  a  general  recruit- 
ing ground  for  officers  from  the  New  England  states  in  quest  of 
soldiers.  As  no  organized  state  government  existed  at  that  time  on 
the  territory  west  of  the  river,  the  town  received  no  credit  for  these 
scattering  enlistments  and  no  local  records  remain  to  show  their  num- 
ber or  term  of  service. 

The  first  alarm  from  an  apprehended  attack  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  the  upper  Connecticut  followed  immediately  the  hasty  and  disas- 
trous retreat  of  the  American  army  from  Canada  in  the  early  summer 
of  1776,  leaving  the  northern  frontiers  exposed  to  the  inroads  of  the 
British  and  their  Indian  allies.  Naturally,  quite  a  panic  ensued,  and 
many  of  the  settlements  most  exposed  were  partially  abandoned. 
But  there  was  immediate  organization  for  mutual  defense  through  the 
Committees  of  Safety  of  the  several  towns  on  both  sides  of  the  river. — 
To  show  the  prompt  and  businesslike  way  in  which  the  Revolutionary 
fathers  met  the  crisis,  we  transcribe  the  proceedings  of  a  meeting  held 
at  Hanover,  July  5th,  1776 : 

"At  a  meeting  of  several  adjacent  towns,  viz.:  Lyme,  Hanover, 
Lebanon,  Thetford,  Norwich,  and  Hartford,  at  the  College  Hall,  on 
Friday  the  fifth  day  of  July,  1776 — 

"Chose  Amos  Robinson  [of  Hartford]  Clerk. 

"Chose  Dea.  Nehemiah  Estabrook,   [Lebanon],  Moderator. 

' '  Voted,  To  raise  fifty  men  exclusive  of  officers  to  repair  to  Royalton, 
to  fortifv  that  Town  and  scout  from  thence  to  Onion  River  and  New- 
burv. 

' '  Voted,  To  appoint  one  Captain  and  two  Subalterns. 

''Voted,  To  appoint  Mr.  David  Woodward  [of  Hanover]   Capt. 

''Voted,  To  appoint  Mr.  Joshua  Hazen  [of  Hartford]   1^*  Lieut. 

"Voted,  To  appoint  Mr.  Abel  Lyman  2^^  Lieut. 

' '  Voted,  To  appoint  a  Committee  of  three  men  to  direct  the  building 
of  the  Fort  at  Royalton,  and  furnish  s<^  fort  with  all  necessary  supplies. 

"Chose  Esq.  Joel  Marsh  (Hartford),  Mr.  Isaac  Morgan,  (Sharon) 
and  ]\raj.  John  Slapp   (Lebanon)  to  be  s*^  Committee. 

' '  Voted,  to  raise  250  men  exclusive  of  officers  to  go  to  Newburj^  to 
fortify,  scout  and  guard  there  for  three  months  unless  sooner  dis- 
charged. 


S6  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

"Voted,  To  appoint  Capt.  Abner  Seeley  [of  Thetford]  Maj^'  of  the 
last  mentioned  Department. 

''Voted,  To  divide  s*^  250  into  four  Companies. 

''Voted,  To  appoint  Mr.  Levi  Willard,*  Mr.  Oliver  Ashley  and  Mr. 
Samuel  Paine   [Lyme]   to  be  Captains. 

"Voted,  That  the  Captains  appoint  their  Subalterns. 

"Voted,  To  appoint  a  Committee  of  three  men  to  direct  and  order 
the  affairs  of  the  Newbury  Department. 

"Voted,  That  Col.  [Jacob]  Bayley,  Col.  [Chas.]  Johnson  and  Col. 
[Peter]  Olcott  be  s^  Committee. 

"Voted,  That  this  Committee  engage  that  the  officers  and  soldiers  in 
both  the  afore  mentioned  Departments  be  honorably  paid  for  their 
services. 

' '  Voted,  To  dismiss  this  meeting — it  is  accordingly  dismissed. — 

"Amos  Robinson,  Clerk." 

We  give  an  intercepted  letter  from  a  prominent  tory  in  Thetford  to 
Benjamin  Brooks  of  Claremont,  showing  the  views  and  expectations 
of  the  Loyalists  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Connecticut  at  the  time 
of  Burgoyne  's  invasion  : 

"Thetford,  June  17,  1777. 

"Sir — I  would  inform  you  that  I  have  just  received  Intelligence  from  Canada, 
and  they  are  a  making  all  preparations  to  come  down,  and  I  would  have  you  all 
stand  in  readiness  to  help  ;  your  arms  are  all  ready  for  you  and  will  be  sent  to 
some  secure  Place,  so  that  you  may  have  them,  and  I  will  let  you  know  where  in 
a  few  days  you  may  expect  to  receive  them.  I  would  have  you  encourage  all 
friends  for  Government  not  to  give  back,  and  let  everything  be  kept  as  a  profound 
secret,  for  our  Lives  depend  upon  it;  —  for  if  the  plan  should  be  discovered,  we 
are  gone,  and  if  there  are  any  more  that  have  sworn  allegiance  to  the  King  since 
I  talked  with  you,  I  should  be  glad  to  know  it,  for  I  must  make  a  return  how 
many  men  we  can  raise.  I  hear  that  Captain  Sumner,  [Benjamin  of  Claremont] 
is  laid  under  Bonds  since  I  saw  you  there ;  I  hope  he  won't  be  discouraged,  and  if 
he  made  any  Progress  I  should  be  glad  to  know  it.  I  hope  in  six  weeks  we  shall 
be  able  to  clear  all  our  friends  from  Bonds  and  Imprisonment;  —  For  God's  sake 
let  everything  be  carried  on  with  secrecy,  and  I  doubt  not  thro'  the  justness  of  our 
cause  we  shall  overcome  the  Dammed  Rebels. 

"  wSo  I  remain  a  true  friend  to  Government. 
"To  Captain  Benjamin  Brooks." 

*Levi  Willard  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  of  that  year  (1776),  in  the  same 
class  with  Abel  Curtis  of  Norwich,  and  undoubtedl}'^  the  same  person  to  whom  Mr.  Curtis 
addressed  the  letter  quoted  in  Governor  and  Council,  Vol.  VIII,  pp.  2g8-joo,  shortly 
after  said  Willard  had  deserted  to  the  enemy  in  the  summer  of  1777.  The  letter  is  curious 
and  well  worth  reading.  Levi  Willard  served  with  the  British  army  in  Canada,  returned 
to  Vermont  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  died  in  obscurity 
and  disgrace  at  Sheldon,  Vt.,  in  1839,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age. 


Norwich  in  the  revolutionary  war  87 

This  letter  is  copied  from  "New  Hampshire  State  Papers,  Vol. 
VTII,  p.  589."  No  sijiiiatiire  is  appended  to  the  same,  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  from  prndential  reasons  none  was  affixed  by  the  writer.  The 
disquieting  effect  upon  the  patriots  of  the  discovery  of  such  persons 
in  their  midst,  can  easily  be  imagined;  and  if  their  identity  was 
shoAvn,  it  is  probable  they  were  waited  upon  by  the  local  Committee 
of  Safety  without  much  delay.  There  is  considerable  reason  to  be- 
lieve, however,  that  the  above  letter  was  written  by  Thomas  Sumner, 
Esq.,  of  Thetford. 

From  "Vermont  State  Papers"  we  learn  that  the  "General  As- 
sembly of  the  Freemen  of  Vermont,"  at  a  session  of  that  body  held 
previous  to  April  30,  1778,  ordered  the  confiscation  of  the  estates  of 
"the  enemies  of  this  State  and  the  United  States  living  within  this 
State,  who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  repairing  to  the  enemy, 
or  other  treasonable  conduct,"  etc.  The  same  Act  provided  for  one 
or  more  Courts  of  Confiscation  to  carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of 
that  order.  As  a  result  of  this  enactment  the  following  order  by  a 
Court  of  Confiscation  sitting  at  Norwich,  was  issued : 

"Norwich,  May,  1775. 

"By  the  Governor  and  Council  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 

"The  Court  appointed  to  confiscate  and  make  sale  of  the  estates  of 
such  as  are  gone,  and  have  been  to  the  enemy,  having  attended  to  that 
business,  and  advised  all  persons  to  appear  and  show  cause,  if  any 
thev  had,  whv  the  estates  hereafter  named,  should  not  be  confiscated 
to  the  use  of  this  State ; — and  whereas  no  reasons  do  appear,  and  on 
the  contrary,  evidences  appearing  which  clearly  set  forth  their  crim- 
inalitv : — 

' '  Therefore, 

"In  consequence  of  the  depositions,  and  by  our  knowledge  of  many 
circumstances  concurring  therewith,  whereby  it  appears  to  this  Court 

that  the  estates  of ought  to  be,  and  they  hereby 

are  confiscated  to  the  use  of  this  State ;  and  we  do  accordingly  appoint, 
and  authorize  Ensign  Hosford  and  Samuel  Smith,  commissioners  to 
make  sale  of  said  estates  (except  so  much  as  is  hereinafter  excepted) 
and  audit  the  accounts  which  may  be  brought  against  the  several 
estates,  under  the  direction  of  the  Judge  of  Probate  of  the  district  in 
which  said  estates  lie,  who  is  hereby  directed  to  make  return,  both  of 


$g  HISTORY    OF  NORWICH 

the  money  received  and  the  accounts  exhibited,  to  the  Council  of  said 
State,  under  oath  of  office,  and  to  administer  the  oath  of  office  to  the 
said  commissioners;  and  either  of  said  commissioners  are  hereby  em- 
poAvered  to  administer  oaths  to  any  person  who  shall  offer  said  ac- 
counts for  settlement;  and  also  to  give  deeds  in  behalf  of  this  State, 
to  the  purchasers  of  said  forfeited  estates. 

' '  The  estates  to  be  excepted,  are,  first,  the  hundred  acre  lot  on  which 

now  lives;  and,  secondly,  the  hundred  acre  lot 

now  in  the  possession  of  the  wife  of . 


"And  the  judge  of  probate,  together  with  the  said  commissioners, 
are  hereby  authorized  to  grant  relief  to  any  person  or  persons,  suffer- 
ing on  account  of  the  above  forfeitures,  as  they,  in  their  wisdom, 
thall  see  fit. 

"By  order  of  Court, 

"Paul  Spooner,  Clerk." 

By  courtesy  of  the  late  Honorable  Hiram  A.  Huse,  former  State 
Librarian  of  Vermont,  we  are  in  possession  of  a  copy  of  Account  Cur- 
lent  between  Abel  [Ensign]  Hosford  and  Samuel  Smith  (the  com- 
I  lissioners  appointed  by  the  foregoing  order  of  the  Court),  and  the 
state  of  Vermont.  The  persons  named  in  the  account  were,  with  one 
exception,  residents  of  Thetford,  and  that  one  not  of  Norwich.  It  is 
an  interesting  document,  though  not  connected  with  the  early  history 
or  town  save  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  outcome  of  an  order  of  a 
Court  of  Confiscation  in  session  in  Norwich.  We  will  give  it  a  place 
in  the  latter  part  of  this  volume. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  order  for  draft  of  the  militia: 

"Norwich,  22nd  Sept.,  1777 

"  Sir. 

"  Pursuant  to  your  orders  of  21st  Inst.,  I  have  called  the  Militia  of  this  town 
together  and  drafted  a  part  of  the  same,  to  march  without  loss  of  time  as  they 
shall  be  directed.     .     .     .     Their  names  as  follow  : 

"John  Slaughter,  Adjt,  John  Wright,  Sargt,  Israel  Brown,  Joseph  Bartlett, 
Samuel  Wright,  John  Reccord,  Seth  Johnson,  Elisha  Baxter,  Elisha  Waterman, 
Joseph  Ball,  Samuel  Partridge,  Elias  Partridge,  Dole  Johnson,  Samuel  Curtiss, 
Asahel  Moredock,  John  Hopson,  Elijah  Baldwin,  Elisha  Brown,  Gersham  Bart- 
lett, Jur,  Samuel  Brown,  Jur. 

"Certified  by  Solomon  Cushman,  Lieut. 

"To  Colo  Peter  Olcott." 


NORWICH  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR  89 

Roster  of  the  Revolutionary  Soldiers  at  Norwich 

I       COMMISSIONED    officers 

Peter  Olcott,  Colonel;  Thomas  Murdock,  Major;  Lyman  Potter,  Chaplain; 
John  Slafter,  Adjutant;  Joseph  Lewis,  Surgeon's  Mate  in  Gen.  Arnold's  Expedi- 
dition  against  Quebec;  Elisha  Burton,  Captain;  Timothy  Bush,  Captain; 
Nathl  Boardman,  Captain;  Paul  Brigham,  Cont.  Service,  1777-1781,  Conn,  line; 
Solomon  Cushman,  Cont.  Service  Col.  Bedel's  Regt.;  Elijah  Gates,  Captain; 
Nathaniel  Seaver,  Captain;  Joseph  Hatch,  Cont.  Service,  commissioned  by  New 
York;  Abel  Curtis,  Captain;  Benjamin  Burton,  Lieutenant;  John  Hopson,  Lieute- 
nant; Roswell  Morgan,  Lieutenant;  Elisha  Partridge,  Lieutenant;  James  Smalley, 
Lieutenant,  Cont.  Army,  Warner's  Regt, 

II      ENLISTED    MEN 

Amos  Ames,  Private;  Parke  Avery,  Private,  (Pensioned  in  1808);  Elijah 
Baldwin,  Private;  Jonathan  Ball,  Private;  Joseph  Ball,  Private;  Gershom  Bartlett, 
Jr.,  Private,  (2  enlistments);  Jonathan  Bartlett,  Private;  Joseph  Bartlett,  Private; 
Elihu  Baxter,  Private;  Cyrus  Brewster,  Private;  Ebenezer  Broughton,  Private; 
Elisha  Brown,  Private  (2);  Israel  Brown,  Private;  Samuel  Brown,  Jr.,  Private; 
Elijah  Brownson,  Private;  Daniel  Buck,  Private,  lost  an  arm  at  Bennington,  1777; 
Elijah  Burnap,  Private;  Jacob  Burnap,  Private,  died  in  the  army  of  Gen.  Gates, 
Sept.  23,  1777;  John  Burnap,  Jr.,  Private;  Jacob  Burt,  (Pensioner),  came  in  after 
the  war;  Josiah  Burton,  Private,  in  Cont.  Army,  3  enlistments,  wounded  at  Sara- 
toga, 1777;  Henry  Burton,  Private,  served  in  Conn.;  Nathl  Burwash,  Private; 
John  Bush;  Sylvanus  Chadwick,  Private;  Samuel  Coit,  Private,  in  Conn.  Militia; 
James  Crary,  Private;  John  Crary,  Private;  William  Crary,  Private;  Samuel  Curtis, 
Private;  Joseph  Cushman,  Private,  Cont.  Army,  4  y  ars,  2nd  Conn.  Regt.;  Moses 
Davis,  served  in  Cont.  Army;  Prince  Freeman,  Private;  Cornelius  Gilbert,  Private; 
Cornelius  Gilbert,  Private;  Eleazar  Goodrich,  Private;  Hezekiah  Goodrich, 
Private;  John  Goodrich,  Private;  Josiah  Goodrich,  Jr.,  Private;  Adrian  Hatch, 
Private;  Benjamin  Hatch,  Private;  William  Hovey,  Private;  Jerome  Hutchinson, 
Private;  John  Hutchinson,  Private,  served  in  Cont.  Army,  died  at  Philadelphia, 
1778;  Abner  Hubbard,  Capt.  in  Conn.  Troops;  Ebenezer  Jaquith,  Private;  Dole 
Johnson,  Private;  James  Johnson,  Private,  Cont.  Army,  4  years.  Conn.  Troops; 
Calvin  Johnson,  Private,  Cont.  Army,  Conn.  Troops;  Hezekiah  Johnson,  Jr., 
Private;  Seth  Johnson,  Private;  Joseph  Loveland,  Private;  Nathaniel  Messenger, 
Private;  Gershom  Morse,  Private;  Gershom  Morse,  Jr.,  Private;  Job  Morse, 
Private;  Asahel  Murdock,  Private;  Israel  Newton,  Private;  Daniel  Nye,  Private; 
Elias  Partridge,  Private;  Ephraim  Partridge,  Private,  died  a  prisoner  in  Canada; 
Samuel  Partridge,  Jr.,  Private;  Jeremiah  Percival,  Sergt.;  Samuel  Poole,  (Pen- 
sioner), came  to  Norwich  after  the  war;  John  Reccord,  Private;  John  Sargent,  Jr., 
wounded,  prisoner  in  Canada,  1781-2;  Conant  B.  Sawyer,  Private,  in  Cont.  Army, 
Conn.  Regt.;  Calvin  Seaver,  Private;  Jonathan  Spear,  Private,  in  Cont.  Army,  died 
in  N.J.;  Joshua  Spear,  Sergt.;  Aaron  Stimson,  Sergt.;  Joel  Stimson,  Sergt,  (Fifer); 


QO  HISTORY    OF   NORWICit 

Peter  Thatcher,  Jr.,  Private;  Samuel  Thatcher,  Private;  Lyman  Tolman,  Private; 
Elijah  Tracy,  Private;  Joseph  Tucker,  Private;  Joseph  Vinsen,  Private;  Eli  Wash- 
burn, Sen.,  Private;  Daniel  Waterman,  Jr.,  Private;  Elisha  Waterman,  Private; 
Elijah  Waterman,  Private;  Levi  Waterman,  Private;  Samuel  Waterman,  Private; 
Eli  White,  Sergt.;  Joel  White,  Private;  Solomon  White,  Private;  Jonathan  Whit 
ing.  Private;  Caleb  West,  Private;  Timothy  Wilmot,  in  Conn.  Troops;  James 
Wilson,  Private,  wagon  master;  John  Wright,  Private;  Samuel  Wright,  Sergt. 

The  deaths  of  fifty-four  (all  that  are  known)  of  the  above  Revolutionary 
soldiers,  that  occurred  after  the  year  1800,  show  an  average  longevity  of  over 
eighty  years.     The  last  to  die  was  Deacon  Israel  Newton,  1856,  93  years. 

Samuel  Coit,  1851,  89  years;  James  Crary,  1849,  86  years;  Jerome  Hutchinson, 
1848,  86  years;  Joseph  Tucker,  1840,  89  years;  Joseph  Cushman,  1848,  89  years; 
Hezr  Goodrich,  1848,  91  years;  Benjamin  Burton,  1847,  92  years;  Daniel  Nye,  1844, 
84  years. 


CHAPTER  X 


NORWICH  IN  THE  SECOND  WAR  WITH  GREAT  BRITAIN 

In  the  spring  of  1812,  war  with  Great  Britain  again  seemed  im- 
minent. Causes  of  complaint  against  the  aggressions  of  the  British 
government  had  existed  for  a  long  time,  and  the  irritation  was  now 
increasing  on  all  sides.  It  did  not  seem  possible  that  actual  war  could 
much  longer  be  postponed,  although  public  opinion  in  the  United 
States  was  still  far  from  unanimous  for  an  immediate  appeal  to  arms. 

Norwich,  as  had  been  her  wont  in  Revolutionary  times,  again  let 
her  voice  be  heard  when  great  public  and  national  interests  were 
being  agitated  before  the  people.  At  the  close  of  a  town  meeting  held 
June  18,  1812,  a  paper  was  presented  to  the  meeting  containing  the 
preamble  and  resolutions  which  we  copy  below.  On  account  of  the 
great  length  of  the  preamble,  we  are  obliged  to  abridge  it  consider- 
ably. The  document  was  obviously  drawn  up  with  much  care  by  some 
person  familiar  with  the  political  history  of  the  country.  After  some 
debate  the  clerk  was  directed  to  read  the  paper.  A  spirited  discus- 
sion ensued,  and  the  preamble  and  resolutions  were  finally  adopted 
by  a  large  majority,  as  true  in  their  statement  of  facts  and  expressive 
of  the  sense  of  the  town  on  the  question  at  issue.  It  was  voted  that 
the  same  be  put  on  record  in  the  town  clerk's  office.  A  final  clause 
appended  to  the  fourth  resolution  denouncing  in  severe  terms  as  ene- 
mies of  their  country  that  portion  of  the  Federal  party  who  were  at 
that  time  most  unsparing  in  their  criticisms  of  the  war  policy  of  Presi- 
dent Madison,  and  the  measures  of  Congress  then  pending  to  procure 
redress,  was  rejected  by  a  decisive  vote. 

Preamble 

"When  we  behold  our  country  on  the  very  verge  of  war,  the  true 
patriot  cannot  help  passing  in  mind  the  whole  catalogue  of  injuries 


92  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

and  wrongs  that  our  country  has  experienced  both  from  England  and 
France. ' ' 

Here  follows  a  lengthy  and  spirited  arraignment  of  England,  be- 
ginning with  the  persecutions  which  drove  the  Pilgrim  fathers  across 
the  sea  in  1620,  and  enumerating  a  long  series  of  abuses,  exactions, 
and  oppressions  which  the  colonists  had  endured  from  British  tyranny 
during  the  whole  colonial  period,  and  which  resulted  at  last,  in  1775, 
in  revolt  and  successful  revolutions. 

The  charges  and  complaints  are  set  forth  in  rigorous  language,  and 
in  their  comprehensiveness  remind  the  reader  of  the  well-known  re- 
cital so  admirably  formulated  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
We  quote  again  from  the  record: 

"Great  Britain,  after  experiencing  defeats  and  delays  in  subduing 
the  colonies,  in  1782  acknowledged  them  independent  of  the  mother 
country  and  entered  into  a  treaty  with  them  as  an  independent  nation 
possessed  with  every  attribute  of  national  sovereignty,  and  made  a 
solemn  engagement  to  regulate  her  conduct  towards  us  consonant  to 
these  her  professions.  But  stung  with  pride  and  governed  by  some 
evil  magic  spell  she  has  not  ceased  to  violate  her  plighted  faith — im- 
pressing our  seamen,  notwithstanding  the  most  earnest  remonstrances 
of  our  government.  She  has  not  ceased  to  vex  our  lawful  commerce 
in  every  sea ;  She  has  crimsoned  the  waters  at  the  mouths  of  our  rivers 
with  the  blood  of  our  citizens;  Her  naval  officers  have  insulted  our 
Government  and  disregarded  our  municipal  laws  and  regulations,  even 
at  the  very  threshold  of  our  national  sovereignty.  She  has  excited 
the  savages  to  make  war  upon  our  defenceless  frontiers.  *  *  *  * 
In  the  midst  of  the  most  ostensible  show  of  negotiation,  she  has  sent 
her  emissaries  and  spies  into  our  most  populous  cities  and  towns  to 
encourage  our  own  citizens  to  resist  the  laws,  promote  civil  war,  and 
has  offered  her  aid  in  dismembering  the  integrity  and  union  of  these 
states.  And  to  fill  up  the  black  catalogue  of  wrongs,  her  public  min- 
isters sent  to  reside  near  our  Gov^  have  in  more  instances  than  one 
endeavored  to  make  our  own  citizens  believe  we  have  no  neutral  rights, 
and  attempted  to  palliate  the  wrongs  of  their  own  government,  mag- 
nifying complaints  against  our  own,  denying  us  justice,  and  with  a 
hollow,  false  profession  of  friendship  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  our 
reasonable  and  just  complaints.     *     *     *     France  also  in  her  turn 


NORWICH    IN    THE    SECOND    WAR    WITH    GREAT    BRITAIN  93 

has  not  been  behind  in  violating  our  national  rights.  She  has  unjustly 
plundered  our  merchants  of  many  millions  of  their  property,  burnt 
many  of  our  vessels  on  the  high  seas,  and  under  the  most  frivolous 
pretences  delays  entering  into  any  adjustment  of  our  just  and  reason- 
able claims  against  that  government  for  the  wrongs  we  have  received 
at  her  hands.  And  we  do  fully  believe  Congress  would  be  justified 
in  declaring  Avar  against  both  France  and  England." 

Resolutions 

''Resolved,  that  we  have  full  confidence  in  the  Chief  Executive  of 
the  United  States,  and  Heads  of  Departments,  and  in  a  majority  of 
both  Houses  of  Congress,  and  we  fully  believe  that  the  measures  which 
appear  to  be  pursued  by  them  are  suitable  and  proper,  and  if  ad- 
hered to  with  unanimity,  will  terminate  to  the  honor  and  interest  of 
the  United  States. 

"Kesolved,  that  we  consider  the  Embargo  not  only  wise  and  politic, 
but  absolutely  necessary  to  save  and  keep  our  property  at  home  and 
call  home  Avhat  was  abroad;  and  in  case  our  government  had  been 
so  forgetful  as  to  have  omitted  so  prudent  a  measure,  our  merchaits 
would  have  had  good  reason  to  censure  the  neglect. 

''Resolved,  that  we  consider  it  the  duty  of  every  good  citizen  to 
support  his  own  government  in  all  its  just  demands  upon  a  foreign 
Power ;  and  we  consider  that  our  claim  upon  Great  Britain  to  rescind 
her  Orders  in  Council,  to  remunerate  our  merchants  for  the  unjust 
spoliation  upon  their  lawful  commerce,  for  the  restoration  of  our 
seamen,  and  the  pretended  right  of  search,  are  all  just  causes  of  com- 
plaint and  war  against  that  Pow^' — and  we  do  most  solemnly  pledge 
ourselves,  our  property,  and  our  all,  in  support  of  our  government  in 
demanding  justice  of  Great  Britain. 

"Resolved,  that  we  regard  manv  of  our  citizens  who  differ  from  us 
in  politics  as  honest,  good  men  who  have  the  good  of  their  country 
at  heart,  but  for  want  of  correct  information  err  in  judgment. 

"To  such  we  can  cheerfully  extend  the  hand  of  charity,  and  believe 
that  when  they  are  better  informed  they  will  walk  with  us  in  any 
measures  to  retrieve  the  honor  and  interest  of  the  country. ' ' 

It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  on  the  very  day  that  the  foregoing 
Preamble  and  Resolutions  were  being  discussed  and  voted  on  in  the 
Norwich  town  meeting  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  at  AYash- 


94  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

ington  was  voting  a  Declaration  of  War  against  Great  Britain.  Just 
six  days  later,  news  of  that  declaration  having  been  received — on  the 
24th  of  June,  the  selectmen  called  another  town  meeting  "to  raise 
a  tax  for  defraying  town  expenses  and  to  increase  the  wages  of  the 
detachment  from  Norwich,"  which  tax  was  promptly  voted  on  the  6th 
of  July  following.  It  was  then  voted  to  increase  the  monthly  pay 
of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  who  have  been  or  may 
be  detached  during  the  present  year  $3.00  per  month,  the  town  to  be 
"holden  to  make  up  that  sum  in  case  the  legislature  should  not  give 
the  same  relief  s^enerallv. " 


Norwich  Soldiers  in  the  War  of  1812 

*Alden  Partridge,  Captain  United  States  Engineers.     Died  at  Norwich,  January 

17,  1854. 
*William  Partridge,  Captain  United  States  Engineers,  Chief  Engineer  of  Army 

under  General  Hull.     Died  at  Detroit,  Mich.  Tery.,  while  prisoner  of  war, 

September  20,  1812. 
*Danl.  A.  A.  Buck,  Captain  31st  United  States  Infantry,     Died  at  Washington, 

D.  C,  December  25,  1841. 
*01iver  G.  Burton,  Major  33d  United  States  Infantry.     Died  in  Cuba,  1820. 
*John  Wright,   First  Lieutenant  United   States   Engineers.      Died   at   Norwich, 

September  10,  i860. 
Ethan  Burnap,    Captain   31st   United    States    Infantry.     Died    at   Lowell,  Mass., 

February  23,  1872. 
Calvin  Burnap,  Lieutenant  31st  Infantry. 

ENLISTED    MEN 
Levi  Burton.     Died  at  Plattsburgh.  N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1813. 
Lyman  Baldwin.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt. 
Harvey  Burton.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  October  22,  1868. 
Elisha  Hutchinson.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  March  28,  1872. 
David  Morrill.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  1878. 
Anderson  Miner. 

Cyrus  Partridge.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  July  16,  1842. 
Ebenezer  Spear.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  July  30,  1870. 
Roswell  Wright.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  October  9,  1866. 
Weston  Sawyer.     Emigrated  to  Ohio. 
Jedediah  Spaulding      Died  at  Port  Huron,  Mich. 
Alex  Percival.     Died  in  service, 
Aaron  Keyes.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt. 
John  Miles.     Died  at  Norwich,  Vt. 

*Graduates  of  the  United  States  Military  Academy. 


NORWICH    IN    THE    WAR    WITH    MEXICO  95 

Norwich  Soldiers  in  War  with  Mexico 

T.   B.   Ransom,   Colonel   9th   United    States   Infantry.      Killed  at  Chapultepec, 

September  13,  1847. 
Henry  O.  Brigham,  Drummer  9th  United  States  Infantry.     Died  at  Detroit,  Mich. 
James    Crangle,     Hudson    Kimball,    Oramell   Chamberlain,     Ezekiel    V.    Hatch, 

George  Hatch,  Rowell,  Elijah  Hatch.     Died  at  Tunbridge,  Vt. 

Frederick  K.  Spear.     Died  at  West  Point,  N.  Y. 


CHAPTER  XI 


NORWICH   IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

During  the  four  years  of  war  for  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion, 
Norwich  furnished  178  different  men  for  the  armies  of  the  Union. 
There  were  seven  re-enlistments,  making  the  whole  number  of  soldiers 
credited  to  the  town  185.  By  the  census  of  1860,  the  number  of  in- 
habitants was  1759.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  town  sent  to  the 
seat  of  war  rather  more  than  one  in  ten  of  its  entire  population,  during 
the  four  years '  .continuance  of  hostilities.  About  the  same  proportion 
holds  good  for  the  state  at  large,  Vermont  contributing,  out  of  an 
aggregate  population  of  315,116,  soldiers  to  the  number  of  31,555  for 
the  defense  of  the  Union.  Of  the  178  men  enlisting  from  Norwich, 
twenty-seven  laid  down  their  young  lives  in  the  service  of  the  country. 
The  soil  of  every  southern  state,  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Eio  Grande, 
was  moistened  by  the  blood  or  supplied  a  grave  to  one  or  more  of  these. 
The  town  paid  the  larger  part  of  these  men  liberal  bounties,  amounting 
to  about  $32,000,  in  addition  to  their  state  and  government  pay.  All 
calls  for  men  upon  the  town  by  the  national  authorities  were  promptly 
and  fully  met. 

The  patriotic  response  of  our  people  to  the  expenses  and  sacrifices 
of  the  war  was,  in  general,  hearty  and  emphatic;  and  yet  candor 
and  the  truth  of  history  compels  us  to  confess  that  there  were  here, 
as  in  most  other  towns  throughout  the  north,  a  few  disloyal  spirits 
who  sympathized  with  the  Slaveholders'  rebellion,  who  denounced 
the  war  from  beginning  to  end,  and  who  scarcely  concealed  their  satis- 
faction when  news  came  of  rebel  victories  and  union  defeats.  The 
lapse  of  twenty-five  years  has  stilled  the  passions  of  those  eventful 
times,  and  charity  impels  us  to  spare  these  misguided  men  the  obloquy 
and  disgrace  such  as  an  earlier  generation  visited  upon  the  tories  of 
the  Revolution.     It  is  the  easier  to  do  this,  since  on  each  recurring 


NORWICH    IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR 


97 


j\Ienu)i'ial  Day  we  see  some  of  those  individuals  who,  in  the  dark  days 
of  the  wai',  reproached  the  soldiers  of  the  Union  as  "Lincoln's  hire- 
lings," and  invoked  for  them  "hospitable  graves"  in  the  south,  now 
conspicuous  in  assisting  to  decorate  the  graves  of  those  who  fell,  and, 
in  renderinu'  honor  to  those  veterans  who  still  survive.  Not  to  have 
given  a  helping  hand  when  one's  country  was  convulsed  by  a  mighty 
struggle  for  existence,  not  to  have  contributed  their  mite  in  aid  of 
the  grand  result  in  which  the  new  l)irth  of  the  nation  was  achieved— 
surely  the  memory  of  this  were  punishment  enough  for  any  who  may 
have  lived  till  now  to  witness  (what  we  all  behold)  the  spectacle  of  a 
great  people,  reunited,  prosperous,  and  altogether  free. 


Norwich  Soldiers  in  the  Civil  Wa.r,   1861-1865. 


Names 
Adams,  Calvin  S. 
Andrews,  John 

Austin,  George  E. 

Beedle,  Elisha  T. 

Bicknell,  William 
Bills,  George 
Blood,  Horace 
Blood,  William  H. 
Bovvker,  John 
Buswell,  Albert 

Carpenter,  William  E 

Chamberlin,  Franklin 
Clapp,  Alonzo  D. 

Clough,  Burchard 

Colburn,  William  H. 
Coon,  Almon  G. 
Coon,  William  H. 

Corey,  Wm.  H.  H. 


Volunteers 

Age  Reg.  Co. 

43     9     A 
42   17     I 

18   17 

iS  17 


FOR  Three  Years  (109) 


F 

D 
B 


25     4 
19    6     C 

25  Cav.  D 

B 

H 

D 

D 

H 
D 

A 

C 
D 
D 

B 


22  6 
18  17 
42  8 

24  8 

25  7 

18  17 

27  9 

24     3 

23  17 

19  17 

20  (1 


Enlistment 
Dec.    30,  '63 
June     10,  '64 

Apr.    12,  '64 

Feb.   13,  '64 

Sept.  2,  '61 
Oct.  19,  '61 
Nov.  8,  '61 
Aug.  14,  '62 
Apr.  16,  '64 
Jan.      4,  '64 

Jan.  4,  '64 

Jan.  24,  '62 

OcL  7-  '63 

Jan.  4,  '64 

June  I,  '61 
Feb.  I  I, '64 
Feb.   II,  '64 

Sept  2c,  '61 


Remarks 

Disch  irged  Feb.  25,  '64. 

Deserted  July  14,  '64.  Arrested  and  sen- 
tenced to  three  years  at  Ft.  Delaware. 

Pro.  Corp.,  Sergt.,  2nd  Lt.  Co.  D,  July 
10,  '65.    Must,  out  as  Sergt.  July  14,  '65. 

Wounded.       Pro.    Cor.,    May    9,    '65. 
Mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 

Mustered  out  Sept.  30.  '64. 

Died  of  disease  ia  service,  Dec.  2,  "62. 

Discharged  May  18,  '62. 

Mustered  out  June  19,  '65. 

Deserted  May  22,  '64. 

Mustered  out  June  28,  '6;. 

Absent   sick  June  28,   '65.       1  D.^t^   of 
muster  out  of  his  Regt.) 

Died  at  Pensacola,  Fl  i.,  Dec.  27,  '62. 

Corporal.    Died  in  hospital  Oct.  29,  '64. 

Prisoner,  Feb.  2,  '64.     Died  at  Ander- 
son ville,  June  30,  '64. 

Killed  in   battle  at  Lewinsville,  \'a. 
Siipt  12,  '61. 

Sergeant.     Discharged  Jan.  4,  '65. 

Corporal,  Pro.  Sergeant.    Mustered  out 
July  14,  '65, 

Pro.   Corp.  Feb.    1,    ■62.      Discharged 
Oct.  27,  '62. 


98 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


Names 

Age 

Reg. 

,  Co. 

Enli 

istment 

Crawford,  Bradford  M, 

.  i8 

17 

I 

June 

21,  '64 

Currier,  George 

23 

9 

A 

Dec. 

26,  '63 

Currier,  Lewis 

18 

7 

H 

Feb. 

26,  '62 

Currier,  Simeon 

23 

7 

H 

Feb. 

,4,  '62 

Curtis,  George  A. 

191 

Cav 

.E 

Oct. 

II,  '61 

Davis,  Oscar  F. 

33 

9 

A 

Dec. 

26,  '63 

Doucett,  Joseph 

21 

17 

D 

Feb. 

17/64 

Doyle,  Erasmus 

25 

3 

F 

June 

I,  '61 

Dutton,  Lewis  H. 

19 

n 

J 

C 

June 

I,  '61 

Eastman,  Charles  M. 

15 

1 1 

D 

Oct. 

20, '63 

Fowler,  John  G. 

-> 
J 

C 

July 

21,  '61 

Gadbois,  Joseph 

30 

7 

F 

Nov. 

30,  '61 

•Gammell,  William  T. 

19 

17 

D 

Feb. 

19,  '64 

Gee,  Freeman 

21 

17 

I 

June 

23,  '64 

Gee,  George  W. 

18 

17 

I 

July 

4, '64 

Gibbs,  Myron  D. 

19 

6 

B 

Aug. 

16,  '62 

Goddard,  Charles  A. 

21 

6 

B 

Sept. 

18, '61 

Goff,  Marshall  C, 

>9 

17 

D 

Aug. 

26,  '63 

Goodrich,  James  B. 

25 

1 1 

H 

Aug. 

7,  '02 

Goodrich,  Leonard  H. 

28 

6 

B 

Aug. 

14,  '62 

Hall,  Daniel 

24 

6 

B 

Feb. 

24,  '62 

Hall,  George  W. 

23 

J 

F 

June 

I,  '61 

Hartwell,  Charles  W. 

20 

17 

I 

June 

8, '64 

Hatch,  Henry  H. 

22 

-> 

C 

June 

I, '61 

Hebard,  Abel  C. 

24 

9 

A 

Dec. 

26,  '63 

Hebard,  George  B. 

22 

9 

A 

Dec. 

24,  '63 

Hebard,  James  C. 

19 

6 

B 

Sept. 

2,  '61 

Hernesy,  Peter 

34 

9 

F 

Dec. 

21/63 

Hilton,  Joseph  L. 

22 

6 

B 

Sept. 

6, '61 

Hinds,  Justin  G. 

2I( 

li^av 

.D 

July 

29,  '64 

Holt,  Charles 

30 

9 

I 

Dec. 

21/63 

Holland,  Reuben  W. 

27 

5 

H 

Aug. 

28,  '61 

Hopson,  Allen  H. 

•7 

4 

B 

Aug. 

7/61 

Hopson,  William  H.       21     3     C     June       i,'6i 


Howard,  Seaver 


36  17     H     Sept.  24,  '63 


Remarks 

Mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 

Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Monroe,  Va., 
Nov.  4,  '64. 

Died  of  disease  at  Carrollton,  La., 
Nov.  10,  '62. 

Discharged  Oct.  15,  '62. 

Ke-enlisted  Dec.  28,  '63.  Deserted 
Oct.  19,  '64,  Cedar  Creek. 

Prisoner  Feb.  2,  '(^4.  Died  at  Ander- 
sonville  Sept.  9,  ■64. 

Deserted  Mar.  9,  '64. 

Re-enlisted  Dec.  21,  '63.  Died  of 
wounds  May  8,  '64. 

.Sergeant.     Discharged  Mar.  24,  '63. 

Pro.  Corp.  Mustered  out  Aug.  25,  '65. 
Pro.  Corp.  Oct.  2,  '61.  Discharged 
Dec.  20,  '62. 

Sergt.  Re-en.  Mar.  8,  '64.  Deserted 
while  on  Vet.  furlough,  Sept.  27,  '64. 

Mustered  out  of  service  July  14,  '65. 

Missed  in  action,  Sept.  30,  '64.  Dis- 
charged Aug.  3,  '65. 

Missed  in  action  Sept.  30.  '64.  Mus- 
tered out  July  14,  '65. 

Mustered  out  June  19,  '65. 

Pro.  Corp.,  Sergt.     Mustered  out  Oct. 

28,  64. 

Prisoner.      Died  at  Salisbury,    N.  C, 

Feb.  II,  '65. 

Prisoner  June  23,  '64  (Welden  R.  R.) 

Died  in  rebel  prison. 

Discharged  Mar.  17,  '64.     Lost  a  leg  in 

service. 

Re-enlisted  Mar.  27,  '64.    Mustered  out 

June  26,  '65. 

Discharged  Feb.  26,  "63. 

Died  Nov.  3,  '64. 

Corporal.     Discharged  July  24,  '62. 

Pro.  Corp  June  5,  '65.  Mustered  out 
Dec.  I,  '65. 

Discharge  for  disability  soon  after 
muster  in. 

Discharged  Oct.  29,  '62. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Dec.  i,  "65. 

Pro.  Corp.      Mustered  out  Oct.  28,  '64. 

Died  in  Libby  Prison,  Nov.  16,  '64. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Dec.  i,  '65. 

Re-en.  Dec.  15,  '63.  Wounded  May  5, 
'64.     Mustered  out  June  29, '65. 

Died  Dec.  24,  '62,  of  wounds  received 
at  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13,  '62. 

Discharged  Nov.  5,  '62.  Re-en.  Feb.  24, 
'64,  in  Co.  F.,  17  Regt.  Pro.  Corp.  Apr. 
24,  '64.  Killed  m  battle  of  Poplar  Grove 
Church,  Va.,  Sept.  30,  '64. 

Sergt.  Transferred  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps 
Apr.,  '65.    Mustered  out  July  30,  '65. 


NORWICH    IN    THE    ClVH.    WAR 


99 


Name 


Age  Reg.  Co.  Fnlistment 


Hutchinson,  Alonzo  B.  23     6     B 

Johnson,  Augustus  H, 
Kimball,  Alpah 

Kimball,  Benj.  F. 

Kimball,  Daniel 
Kimball,  Henry  H. 

Kimball,  Wm.  A. 

Knapp,  Chas.  A. 

Knapp,  Henry  W. 

Lamphere,  George 

Low,  Willard 

Marcotte,  Alexis 

McDonald,  Wm. 
McNorten,  Seth 
Menoit,  Clifford 
Messenger,  Albert  H. 
Messenger,  Chas.  M. 

Messenger,  George 

Morey,  George  W. 
Morey,  Robert  R. 
Neal,  James  K. 

Noyes,  Edwin  M. 

Nye,  George  VV. 

Parkhurst,  Oscar  M. 

Pennock,  Frederick 
Piper,  Merrill  J. 
Ray,  Edwin  R. 
Reynolds,  George  W. 
Riley,  Peter 
Sargent,  Charles  A. 

Sargent,  James  M. 
Shadick,  Isaac 
Silver,  George  VV. 
Silver,  Henry 

Slack,  Ransem  A. 

Slate,  Henry  W. 


20 

6 

B 

Sept. 

23 

'61 

23 

7 

H 

Jan. 

23 

'62 

44 

17 

D 

Feb. 

26 

,'64 

3' 

9 

A 

Dec. 

29 

.'63 

'9 

6 

B 

Sept. 

17 

,  '61 

iS 

T 
,) 

F 

Sept. 

17 

'61 

iS 

6 

B 

Sept. 

5, 

'61 

21 

4 

K 

Sept. 

1 

'61 

21 

6 

B 

Apr. 

I, 

'62 

24 

8 

Dec. 

28, 

'63 

21 

9 

Dec. 

21 

'63 

2  2 

17 

I 

June 

21, 

'64 

43 

17 

D 

Feb. 

18, 

'64 

2  I 

9 

Dec. 

29 

'63 

30 

6 

B 

Aug. 

16 

'62 

22 

6 

B 

Sept. 

6 

'61 

26 

6 

B 

Sept. 

7, 

'61 

2  2 

9 

F 

Dec. 

25 

'63 

33 

9 

F 

Dec. 

'9 

'63 

17 

19 

A 

Aug. 

18, 

'64 

25 

3 

C 

May 

23 

'61 

34 

9 

A 

Dec. 

26, 

'63 

20  Cav 

.E 

Sept. 

28 

'61 

iS 

6 

B 

Mar. 

10, 

'62 

1 8 

17 

I 

May 

29, 

'64 

22 

9 

A 

Dec. 

26, 

'63 

'9 

17 

D 

Feb. 

18, 

'64 

34 

9 

E 

Sept. 

7. 

'64 

2  2 

4 

B 

Aug. 

22 

'61 

0  '7 

6 

B 

Aug. 

18, 

'62 

18 

17 

H 

Mar. 

29, 

'64 

19 

6 

B 

Oct. 

I, 

'61 

18 

6 

B 

Oct. 

I 

'61 

20 

6 

B 

Sept. 

20, 

'61 

iS 

17 

D 

Feb. 

25 

'64 

Remarks 

Com.  Capt.  Co.  B.  6th  Regt.  Oct.  5,  '61, 
Honorably  discharged  July  23,  '63.  for 
wounds  received  at  Bank's  Ford,  Va., 
May4„  '63. 

Died  of  disease  at  Washington,  Oct. 

20,  '62. 

Re-enlisted  Feb.  15,  '64.  Mustered  out 
Mar.  14,  '66. 

Trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps.  Mustered 
out  July  20,  '65. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Oct.  19,  '65. 

Pro.  Corp.    Discharged  Oct.  4,  '62. 

Discharged  Dec.  25,  '62.  Died  at  Nor- 
wich, Jan.  14,  '63. 

Died  June  4,  '64,  of  wounds  received  at 
Spottsylvania. 

Musician.  Mustered  out  of  service 
Sept.  30,  '64. 

Pro.  Corporal,  Sergt.  Mustered  out 
.'Vpr.  16,  '65. 

Mustered  in  Jan.  7,  '64.    Deserted. 

Mustered  in  Jan.  7,  '64.  Deserted. 
Died  in  Canada. 

Deserted  July  7,  '64. 

Mustered  out  May  25,  '65. 

Deserted.     Never  joined  regiment. 

Mustered  out  of  service  June  19,  '65. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Oct.  28,  '64. 

Corporal,  Pro.  Sergt.  Mustered  out 
Oct.  28,  '64. 

Mustered  out  Dec.  i,  '65. 

Mustered  out  Dec.  i,  '65. 

Died  Mar.  29,  '65,  at  Hampton,  Va. 

2nd  Lieut.,  Pro.  ist  Lieut.  Nov.  7,  '61. 
Died  Aug.  31,  '62. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  7,  '65. 

Re-enlisted  Dec.  28,  '63.  Pro.  Corp 
Jan.  I,  '64.     Mustered  out  June  12,  '65' 

Killed  by  a  shell  before  Petersburg 
June  27,  '64. 

Deserted  July  7,  '64. 

Died  of  disease  Mar.  7,  '64,  at  New- 
born, N.  C. 

Mustered  out  July  11  '65. 

Transferred  to  nth  Regt.  Jan.  20,  '65. 
Mustered  out  Aug.  25,  '65. 

Wounded.  Lost  a  leg  in  service.  Dis- 
charged Aug.  25,  '63. 

Mustered  out  June  19,  '65. 

Died  of  disease  Oct.  29,  '64. 

Discharged  Oct.  29,  '62. 

Discharged  Sept.  25,  '62.     Wounded. 

Pro.  Corporal.  Wounded.  Mustered 
out  Oct.  28,  '64. 

Mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 


100 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


Names 
Smalley,  John  G. 

Sproat,  Edward  M. 

Taylor,  George  W, 
Taylor,  Henry 
Thompson,  Bernard 

Tillerson,  William 

Tracy,  Fred 

Turner,  Silas  N. 
Wallace,  Martin  L. 
Welch,  Patrick 
Whitcomb,  Chas.  B. 

Wilkey,  James  H. 

Willey,  Uanforih 
Wright,  Alexis  B. 
Wright,  Thomas  K.  G. 

Wright,  John  H. 

Yarrington,  Harvey  J. 
Yarrington,  Horace 
Yarrington,  Merrill  E. 
Yarrington,  Wm.  P. 


Age  Reg.  Cc 

>.        En 

listment 

21 

■^ 

J 

F 

June 

I,  '61 

i8 

4 

B 

Aug. 

14,  '61 

26 

6 

B 

Aug. 

30,  '61 

•9 

9 

K 

Sept. 

7,  '64 

301 

Cav 

.1 

Aug. 

24,  '64 

19 

6 

B 

July 

30,  '62 

18 

17 

I 

June 

21,  '64 

23 

6 

B 

Aug. 

14,  '62 

29 

7 

H 

Jan. 

19.  '62 

26 

7 

Sept. 

8,  '64 

iS 

17 

I 

Feb. 

10,  '64 

-J 

10 

E 

Jan. 

4/64 

40 

7 

H 

Jan. 

28,  '62 

43 

9 

A 

Dec. 

29>  '63 

0  -y 
-J 

6 

B 

Sept. 

6,  '61 

2  2 

6 

B 

Sept. 

7, '61 

31 

6 

B 

Aug. 

16,  '62 

-J 

6 

B 

Aug. 

18,  '62 

2  I 

9 

A 

Jan. 

2.  'A4 

21 

9 

A 

Jan. 

4.  '64 

Remarks 

Discharged  May  19,  '63. 

Killed    in   action    at    Fredericksburg, 
Dec.  13,  '62. 

Deserted  Jnly  iS,  '63. 

Deserted  October,  15,  '64. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  9,  '65. 

Transferred  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Sept 
I,  '63.     Mustered  out  July  12,  '65. 

Transferred  to  Vet.  Res.   Corps   Apr. 
29,  '65.     Mustered  out  Aug.  22.  "65. 

Died  Jan.  6,  '63. 

Discharged  Oct.  15,  '62. 

Deserted.     No  further  record. 

Mustered  out  July  14,  '65. 

Transferred  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  Nov. 
25,  '64.     Mustered  out  Aug.  iS,  '65. 

Died  July  29,  '62,  at  Baton  Rouge,  La 

Died  Mar.  25,  '65. 

Corporal.     Transferred    to  12th    Mich 
Regt.  Feb.  20,  '62. 

Re-en.  Jan.  ;,  '64.     Discharged  for  pro- 
motion ill 3ra  Battery,  ist  Lieut. July  26 
'64.     Honorably  discharged  May  29,  '65] 

Pro.  Corporal  June  5,  '65.     Discharged 
May  12,  '65. 

Transferred  to  \'et.  Res.  Corps   Dec. 
14,  '64.     Discharged  July  i,  '65. 

Pro.  Corporal  June   5,   '65.     Mustered 
out  Dec.  I,  '65. 

Pro.  Corporal  Feb.  iS,  '65.     Mustered 
out  June  22.  '65. 


Volunteers  for  One  Year  (Army — 4) 

Bartlett,  Charles  H.        19     7     H      Feb.     20, '65       Mustered  out  of  service  July  18, '65 
Jenks,  John    E.  21      9      I       Sept.       3,  '64        Mustered  out  of  service  June  19, '65 

Johnsen,  James  23     8     I      Mar.     11, '65 

Terry,  Julius  34     6      H      Sept.    12,^64        Discharged  June  3, '65, 


Dishonorably  discharged  andsentenced 
to  five  years  hard  labor  May  21,  '65. 


Volunteers  for  One  Year  (Navy — 8) 

Clough,  William  W.  Davis,  Frank  A.  Sproat,  James  S. 

Clough,  Thomas  S.  Gordon,  Charles  F.  (Two  enlistments) 

Colburn,  Myron  S. 


Powers,  Chandler  W.  Waterman,  John 

Volunteers  for  Nine  Months  (31) 


N  ames 

Alger,  Aaron  P. 
Ballard,  Edwin  L. 

Benson,  Levi  A. 

Brown,  John  B. 


Age  Reg.  Co.        Enlistment 
27   16     H     Sept.    15,  '62 
30  16     K     Sept.    15,  '62 

18   16     K     Sept.    15,  '62 
24   16     K     Sept.    15,  '62 


Remarks 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Discharged  Jan.  22,  '63.     Died  at  Nor- 
wich Apr.  9,  '64. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10.  '63. 


NORWICH    IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR 


lOI 


Names 
Brown,  William  L. 
Caswell,  Charles 
Colburn,  Richard  A. 

Converse,  Charles  B. 
Currier,  Daniel  O. 
Cutting,  Orange  P. 
Danforth,  William   A. 
Fowler,  Lewis  H. 

Hawkins,  Henry  G. 

Holt,  Franklin 
Huggett,  David  H. 
Hutchinson,  Edsen 
Hutchinson,  Samuel 

Hutchinson,  Wm.  H. 

Jenne,  Lemuel  R. 

Kelley,  Michael 

Marcotte,  Thomas 
Messenger,  Benj.  F. 
Morris,  George  S. 
Slack,  Herbert  B. 
Swasey,  Chas.  L. 
Thurstin,  George  R. 
Thurstin,  Harrison  H. 
Tracey,  James  B. 
Waterman,  Chas.  H. 
Wood,  Chas.  P. 
Wood,  Rodolphus  W. 


Age  Reg.  C( 

■).        Enli 

stment 

23 

16 

K 

Sept. 

'5 

'62 

40 

16 

K 

Sept. 

5> 

'62 

18 

16 

K 

Sept. 

'S 

'62 

20   I 

6 

K 

Sept.    I 

5, 

'62 

43   1 

6 

K 

Sept.    1 

'62 

19   I 

6 

K 

Sept.    I 

5, 

'62 

20 

6 

K 

Sept. 

'5 

,'62 

1 8 

16 

K 

Sept. 

15 

'62 

25 

16 

K 

Sept.    ] 

^5> 

'62 

18 

16 

H 

Sept. 

5> 

'62 

23 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

5, 

'62 

44 

6 

K 

Sept.    1 

5. 

'62 

36 

16 

K 

Sept. 

15 

,'62 

26 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

5, 

'62 

37   1 

[6 

K 

Sept.    ] 

5, 

'62 

28  1 

6 

K 

Sept.    1 

5, 

'62 

25 

16 

K 

Sept. 

15 

'62 

21 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

'5 

'62 

21 

16 

K 

Sept. 

'5i 

'62 

18    ] 

6 

K 

Sept. 

[5 

'62 

24 

[6 

K 

Sept.    1 

[5> 

'62 

22 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

'5 

'62 

21 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

15. 

'62 

18 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

fS 

'62 

20 

16 

K 

Sept. 

15 

,'62 

24 

[6 

K 

Sept. 

'5 

'62 

35 

6 

K 

Sept.    1 

t5> 

'62 

Remarks 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 
Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Corporal.     Reduced    to  the  ranks  by 
request. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Died  of  disease  near  Union  Mills,  Va., 
Feb.  28,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Pro.  Corporal.      Mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Captain.    Resigned  Jan  3,  '63. 

Wagoner.      Reduced  to   the  ranks  by 
request. 

Mustered  out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Wounded  at  Gettysburg.      Mustered 
out  of  service  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Discharged  Feb.  11,  '63. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Corporal.     Mustered  out  Aug.  10.  '63. 

Discharged  Nov.  27,  '62. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  '63. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  '63 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10,  "63. 

Pro.  Corporal  Feb.  i,  '63. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  10.  '63. 


Furnished  Under  the  Draft  of  1863(17) 
a — Entered  Service  (i) 
Shattuck.  Samuel  W.    22 


Adjutant  8th  Vt.  Vols.  Oct.  20,  '63.    Pro.  Capt.  Co.  H  Nov.  24,  '64, 
Wounded  at  Cedar  Creek,  Oct.  19,  '64.     Mustered  out  June  28,  '65. 


Neal,  James  L. 

Bartlett,  Edson 
Burton,  Henry  C. 
Currier,  Ambrose  B, 


/^—Procured  Substitutes  (3) 
Pattrell,  Oscar  L. 

r— P.\iD  Commutation  (8) 

Johnsen,  Albert  R. 
Sargent,  William 
Strong,  Calvin 


Walker,  Daniel  A. 


Turner,  N.  G.,  Jr.. 
Waterman.  Wm.  T. 


102  HISTORY    OP    NORWICH 

Enrolled  Men  Who  Furnished  Substitutes  (5) 

Blanchard,  Asa  Bradley,  Hial  Slack,  George  W. 

Bradley,  Edwin  Lyman,  Augustus  P. 

Miscellaneous  (9) 
Not  credited  by  name  to  the  town. 


CHAPTER    XII 


EDUCATIONAL 

Prom  the  town  records  it  appears  that  the  first  attempt  to  divide 
the  town  into  school  districts,  was  at  a  town  meeting  held  November 
19,  1782,  w^hen  John  Slafter,  Elijah  Brownson,  Ithamar  Bartlett, 
Joseph  Loveland,  Paul  Bingham,  Joseph  Hatch,  Daniel  Baldwin,  Abel 
Wilder  and  Samuel  Brown,  Jr.,  were  made  a  committee  for  that  pur- 
pose. Soon  thereafter  the  committee  reported  that  they  "could  effect 
nothing  on  the  business  of  their  appointment,"  and  were  discharged. 
No  further  move  in  town  meeting  towards  districting  the  town  for 
school  purposes  appears  to  have  been  made  until  March  30,  1785,  when, 
on  petition  of  persons  residing  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  tow^n, 
the  territory,  to  be  described,  was  embraced  in  a  district  designated  as 
the  ' '  First  School  District :  Beginning  at  the  southeast  bound  of 
Norwich ;  thence  running  on  the  line  between  Hartford  and  Norwich, 
two  miles;  thence  northerly  so  wide  as  to  include  Benjamin  Hatch  and 
Benjamin  Burton  and  Mr.  John  Knight ;  thence  easterly  so  as  to  take 
into  s'd  district  Nathaniel  Brown,  Esq.,  Esquire  Elisha  Partridge  and 
the  Rev.  Lyman  Potter ;  thence  due  east  to  Connecticut  River. ' ' 

At  a  town  meeting  held  March  14,  1791,  districts  Nos.  1  to  12,  both 
inclusive,  were  established;  March  13,  1798,  district  No.  13  was  or- 
ganized; No.'14  (from  the  consolidation  of  districts  9  and  10)  in  1818; 
No.  15  (Bicknell),  in  1827;  No.  16,  March,  1828;  No.  17,  June,  1828; 
No.  19,  March,  1834;  No.  20,  Oct.  20,  1834;  No.  18   (Podunk),  1841. 

At  a  town  meeting  held  in  May,  1834,  it  was  "voted  to  set  off  Ira 
Baxter,  Isaac  Partridge,  Cyrus  Partridge,  and  Calvin  P.  New^ton's 
Cushman  farm,  and  the  Widow  Bissell  and  the  Olcott  house  she  lives 
in,  to  District  No.  4." 

In  March,  1836,  No.  19  District  (established  in  March.  1834)  hav- 
ing, it  is  supposed,  become  extinct,  another  district  of  like  designation 


104  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

was  established  on  the  territory  now  called  No.  5  (Upper  River).  In 
September  following-  the  district  was  renumbered  21. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  in  March,  1824,  the  town  'Sooted  to 
choose  a  committee  to  visit  the  several  schools  in  Norwich  the  vear 
ensuing,  and  to  report  according  to  their  improvement,  and  to  dis- 
tribute such  donations  as  they  may  receive  from  individuals,  to  the 
schools  which,  in  their  opinion,  have  made  the  best  progress  in  learn- 
ing during  the  term,  and  make  return  to  the  next  March  meeting." 
The  following  named  persons  constituted  this  committee:  "Rev.  Sam- 
uel Goddard,  John  Brown,  Elijah  Boardman,  Rev.  Jas.  W.  Woodward, 
Sewall  Gleason,  Asa  Lord,  Horace  Hatch,  Col.  Alba  Stimson,  John 
Wright,  Esq." 

At  the  March  meeting  in  1825,  it  was  "voted  to  appropriate  $32.00 
to  the  several  districts  in  Norwich,  to  be  divided  as  follows :  $2.00 
to  each  district,  to  be  divided  bv  the  teachers,  with  the  advice  of  the 
committee,  to  those  scholars  in  each  school  who,  in  their  opinion,  have 
made  the  best  progress,  and  the  remaining  $4.00  to  the  school  or  schools 
that  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee  have  made  the  best  progress  in 
learning  during  the  winter. ' ' 

^^ Voted,  further,  that  the  Committee  appointed  to  visit  the  several 
School  districts,  be  requested  to  examine  the  teachers  in  each  School 
district,  and  if  they  consider  that  they  are  not  qualified  to  keep  school, 
to  make  report  to  the  Committee  of  that  district  or  districts,  and  if 
such  teachers  shall  not  then  be  dismissed  and  others  procured  who  are 
qualified,  such  district  shall  receive  no  share  of  the  money  so  appro- 
priated."  [This  is  the  earliest  instance  of  school  supervision  known 
to  the  writer  in  Vermont,  as  instituted  by  town  authority.] 

It  was  also  '^  Voted  that  the  Treasurer  be  directed  to  pay  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Goddard  $14, — for  the  services  he  performed  in  visiting  the  several 
school  districts  in  Norwich  the  past  winter." 

We  have  no  knowledge  of  Prudential  Committees  for  Schools  earlier 
than  1828,  in  which  year  Rev.  Sam'l  Goddard,  Alba  Stimson,  John 
Wright,  Dr.  Horace  Hatch,  and  Eleazer  J.  Boardman  served  in  that 
capacity.  The  committees  for  later  years  were:  1829,  Rev.  Sam'l  God- 
dard, Rev.  J.  W.  Woodward,  Col.  Alba  Stimson,  A.  Loveland,  Cyril 
Pennock;  1830,  Rev.  S.  Goddard,  Rev.  J.  W.  Woodward,  Alba  Stimson, 
Dr.  Ira  Davis,  Dr.  Horace  Hatch;  1831,  Rev.  Samuel  Goddard,  Ira 


M 


HIGH   SCHOOL   BUILDING,   NORWICH   VILLAGE 
ERECTED    IN    1 89S 


SCHOOL    DISTRICTS    AND    SCHOOLS  IO5 

Davis,  Rev.  J.  H.  Woodward,  Paul  W.  Brigham,  Col.  Alba  Stiinson ; 
1832  and  1833,  Thos.  Hall,  Alba  Stimson,  Ira  Davis.  From  1846  to 
1857,  the  office  of  School  Superintendent  (under  a  new  law)  was  filled 
by  Dr.  Shubael  Converse,  who  served  four  years;  Col.  Alba  Stimson, 
who  served  three  years;  Dr.  Ira  Davis,  whose  term  was  two  years;  and 
M.  M.  Davis,  E.  B.  Emerson,  and  Prof.  J.  D.  Butler,  each  of  whom 
served  one  year. 

The  number  of  scholars  in  the  several  school  districts  in  Norwich,  as 
returned  by  the  District  Clerks  in  IMarch,  1826,  was  635,  of  which 
number  136  were  in  District  No.  1.  In  1779,  as  per  returns  made  that 
year,  the  number  was  552.  In  1886,  fifteen  districts  supported  schools, 
with  220  scholars  in  attendance. 

Mr.  Chas.  E.  Ensworth  says  that  he  has  the  authority  of  the  late 
Mr.  Roswell  Wright  for  statins-  that  the  first  district  school  buildino; 
in  town  stood  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  present  ' '  vestry ' ' ;  that  Mr. 
Wrig'ht,  when  a  boy,  attended  school  there,  walking  from  his  father's 
home  on  what  is  now  known  as  "Dutton  Hill,"  with  Adriance  Hatch 
(grandfather  of  the  late  Abel  P.  Hatch)  whose  home  was  further 
west,  in  a  house  occupied  later  by  Neal,  and  still  later  by  Pettes  until 
it  was  destroyed  by  fire  several  years  since. 

As  the  following  interesting  petition  is  in  close  touch  with  the  pres- 
ent subject,  we  will  give  it  a  place  in  this  article : 

Petition 

"Whereas  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Norwich 
Living  on  the  road  from  James  Johnson's  to  Humphrey  Balls  and 
some  elsewhere  have  been  great  sufferers  for  want  of  a  School  that 
would  Commode  us  those  schools  that  have  been  kept  here  to  fore  the 
nearest  has  been  so  far  of  that  we  have  had  little  or  no  profit  thereby — 
We  therefore  Avhose  names  are  hereunto  set  beg  leave  to  inform  the 
good  people  of  this  town  that  we  can  not  send  our  children  to  the 
School  house  bv  Lieut.  John  SI  afters  without  great  trouble  because 
of  the  length  of  way  and  also  by  reason  of  the  roads  not  being  much 
traveled  we  therefore  think  it  very  discommojeus  and  therefore  burden- 
some for  us  to  send  or  belong  to  the  School  at  the  S'd  Slafters  we 
therefore  wish  the  Gentlemen  Committee  that  was  appointed  by  this 
town  would  consider  our  burden  and  remember  that  we  want  freedom 
and  privileges  with  our  Bretheren  we  think  the  Committee  Men  of 


I06  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Reason  and  Wisdom  and  therefore  we  hope  for  a  hearing  in  this  mat- 
ter.'^ 

"  John  Armstrong 

Ithamar  Bartlett 

Humphrey  Ball 

Anderson  Miner 

^_,  ,  .    ,  ,  Johnson 

[This  part  of  the  petition  is  missing ;  the  j       i    o 

indications  are  that  it  was  cut  off  with  a  sharp  r-  ^   •     t  i 

T^     1    .  1      ,      ,  ,  r  Calvin  Johnson 

instrument,     rrobablv  the  date  and  names  of  t  i      a/t-i 

,  .  .  -         ,      ,  John  Miles 

other  petitioners  were  on  the  detached  piece.]  j^j^^  ^^^  Armstrong 

Joseph  Brown 
Joseph  Cook 
Titus  D.  Hammond 
Benjamin  Burt 

The  brick  school-building  at  the  lower  end  of  Norwich  village  was 
built  by  the  late  Harvey  Burton,  Esq.,  in  1845,  and  was  used  for 
school  purposes  until  1888,  when  the  two  \dllage  districts  were  consoli- 
dated, the  consolidated  district  having  its  school  in  the  north  one  of  the 
former  University  buildings. 

By  an  Act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  in  1892,  the  old  district  organ- 
ization for  caring  for  schools  was  abolished,  and  the  present  town 
system  put  in  force. 


The  Windsor  County  Grammar  School  was  granted  a  charter  by  the 
legislature  of  the  State,  June  17,  1785,  while  in  session  in  Norwich. 
How  soon  it  w^ent  into  operation  we  are  unable  to  say ; — probably  very 
soon — although  the  action  of  the  legislature  in  October,  1788,  legalizing 
a  lottery  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money  to  complete  the  school  build- 
ing, might  indicate  a  later  date.  One  Ashur  Hatch  was  its  first  and 
only  teacher  until  the  school  was  removed  to  Royalton,  Vt.,  in  1807, 
and  he  was  also  the  first  school  teacher  in  town  of  whom  we  have  any 
record.  i\Ir.  Hatch  was  a  son  of  John  Hatch,  Jr.  He  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  College  in  1779,  married  Lucy  Story  in  1789,  removed  to 
Brookfield,  Vt.,  in  1791,  and  died  there  in  1826,  aged  seventy-three 
years. 

Among  the  scholars  who  attended  the  school  were  John  Bush,  Ros- 
well  Olcott,  Thomas  Brigham,  Stephen  Burton  and  Mills  Olcott,  after- 


NORWICH    CLASSICAL    AND    ENGLISH    BOARDING   SCHOOL  10/ 

wards  men  of  note  in  town.  The  seliool  building  stood  where  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  Norwich  village  now  stands,  and  was  used  for 
school  purposes  until  1838,  when  it  was  moved  away  and  converted  into 
a  dwelling  house.  It  is  now  the  home  of  Lucius  Ilibbard,  at  the  north 
end  of  the  village.  Previous  to  its  removal  the  building  had  been  used 
by  both  districts  on  the  "Plain"  for  school  purposes,  the  upper  dis- 
trict using  the  north  room  and  the  lower,  or  south  district,  the  south 
room.  In  time  friction  arose  between  the  two  districts,  resulting  in  the 
north  district  engaging  "Uncle"  Chauncey  Hunt  to  haul  the  struc- 
ture away  to  their  end  of  the  village,  which  service  he  performed, 
though  not  to  his  pecuniary  advantage,  because  of  subsequent  litigation 
growing  out  of  that  act.  After  the  removal  of  the  building,  the  school 
in  the  south  district  was  kept  in  the  north  university  building;  in  a 
building  that  stood  in  the  forks  of  the  highway  near  the  railroad 
bridge,  south  of  the  depot,  and  at  other  places,  until  the  erection  of 
the  brick  schoolhouse  in  that  district  in  1845,  the  north,  or  upper,  dis- 
trict using  a  building  erected  for  that  purpose. 


The  Norwich  Classical  and  English  Boarding  School  was  incorpor- 
ated by  the  legislature  of  Vermont  November  8,  1867,  and  went  into 
operation  the  following  year.  The  names  of  the  corporators  were : 
William  Sewall,  Henry  Blood,  Henry  Hutchinson,  John  Button,  Syl- 
vester Morris,  W™  E.  Lewis,  Joseph  L.  Loveland,  James  Burnham, 
Samuel  Goddard,  Franklin  L.  Olds,  and  their  associates  and  suc- 
cessors. The  school  occupied  the  building  (North  Barracks)  formerly 
belonging  to  Norwich  University,  which  had  transferred  to  it  all  its 
right  and  title  to  the  same  previous  to  its  removal  to  Northfield  in  1866. 
This  building  was  repaired  and  refurnished  at  an  expense  (by  sub- 
scription among  the  townspeople,  chiefly)  of  over  $3,000. 

The  school  was  opened  in  December,  1867,  with  quite  encouraging 
prospects;  but  with  a  frequent  change  of  teachers  the  patronage  stead- 
ily declined  for  about  ten  years,  becoming  extinct  in  1877, — thus 
sharing  the  fate  of  most  of  the  unendowed  high  schools  and  academies 
throughout  the  State.  During  its  brief  existence  it  served  a  useful  pur- 
pose. Several  young  men  were  fitted  for  college,  and  others  of  both 
sexes  prepared  themselves  for  teaching  and  for  active  life.     The  pi'in- 


I08  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

cipals  were:  W.  H.  Gilbert,  1868;  C.  P.  Chase,  1869;  C.  E.  Putney, 
1870-73;  E.  P.  Sanborn,  1874;  W.  W.  Morrill,  1875 ;  W.  H.  Ray,  1876; 
D.  S.  Brigham,  1877. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


THE  A.  L.  S.  AND  M.  ACADEMY 

Among  the  well  known  educational  institutions  in  our  land  during 
the  early  part  of  the  past  century,  was  the  American  Literary,  Scien- 
tific, and  Military  Academy,  the  forerunner  of  Norwich  University, 
founded  by  the  late  Capt.  Alden  Partridge  in  1819,  in  Norwich,  his 
native  town. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Academy  building*  was  placed  August  4, 
1819,  and  September  20th  of  the  folloAving  year  the  institution  was 
opened  for  the  reception  of  cadets. 

From  Captain  Partridge's  knowledge  of  the  system  of  education 
in  force  in  the  higher  seminaries  of  learning  in  our  country,  he  was 
convinced  that  no  truly  American  system  of  education — such  as  was 
designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  large  majority  of  the  young  men  of 
the  country — was  within  their  reach.  It  was  with  a  view  to  remedy 
that  defect  that  he  established  this  institution,  which  during  the  first 
year  of  its  existence  had  an  attendance  of  one  hundred  pupils,  and 
thereafter — until  1825 — the  annual  attendance  rapidly  increased,  at 
one  time  being  nearlv  two  hundred. 

The  character  of  the  patronage  accorded  to  this  newly  launched 
academy  was  highly  flattering  to  its  founder  and  its  friends.  The  at- 
tendance from  the  southern  states  was  very  large — undoubtedly  a 
larger  percentage,  by  far,  than  any  other  northern  educational  insti- 
tution was  favored  with ;  many  of  whom,  in  after  years,  with  numbers 
of  their  northern  classmates,  honored  themselves  and  their  Alma  Mater. 

*This  building  was  constructed  of  brick,  was  four  stories  high  and  forty-seven  by  one 
hundred  feet  on  the  ground,  and  was  situated  just  south  of  the  present  high  school  build- 
ing, and  near  the  east  end  of  the  now  vacant  lot  opposite  the  residence  of  Mrs.  William  E. 
Lewis. 


ilO  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

April,  1825,  the  academy  was  removed  to  Middletown,  Conn.,  for 
reasons  believed  by  Captain  Partridge  to  promise  a  more  successful 
future  to  the  institution  than  would  accrue  to  it  by  its  remaining  at 
Norwich.  While  at  Middletown — a  period  of  three  years — its  success 
was  even  larger,  in  many  respects,  than  when  at  Norwich,  the  number 
of  cadets  in  attendance  at  one  time  being  nearly  or  quite  three  hun- 
dred. 

While  at  Norwich  the  institution  was  a  private  undertaking  by 
Captain  Partridge, — the  ground,  buildings,  and  other  material  being 
owned  bv  him. 

In  1835,  the  Academy  became  "Norwich  University,"  by  virtue  of 
an  act  of  incorporation  granted  by  the  legislature  of  Vermont  the  pre- 
vious year.  Captain  Partridge  remained  at  the  head  of  the  institution 
until  1843,  and  soon  after  sold  the  buildings  and  grounds  to  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  University. 

In  1845,  a  rival  military  school,  under  the  superintendency  of  Colonel 
T.  B.  Ransom,  had  a  home  in  a  wooden  building  that  stood  a  little 
south  and  west  of  the  other  academy  building;  but  its  duration  was 
short,  and  its  attendance  small.  Subsequently  the  building  was  moved 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  highway,  and  from  a  home  for  mental  cul- 
ture became  Mr.  David  IMorrill's  paint  shop. 

In  1830-1,  a  building  designed  for  a  boarding  house  for  the  cadets 
at  the  University  was  erected  just  north  of  the  one  first  built,  and  on 
the  site  of  the  present  high-school  building. 

Norwich  University 

There  was  one  feature  in  the  scheme  of  education  established  at 
Norwich  Universitv  which  honorablv  distinguished  it  from  nearlv  all 
other  similar  institutions  of  its  time  in  New  England.  From  the  first 
it  was  wholly  free  from  sectarian  influence.  This  principle  was  prom- 
inently set  forth  in  its  charter  as  drawn  by  its  founder.  Captain  Par- 
tridge, which  provided  "that  no  rules,  laws  or  regulations  of  a  sec- 
tarian character,  either  in  religion  or  politics,  should  be  adopted  or 
imposed;  nor  shall  any  student  ever  be  questioned  or  controlled  on 
account  of  his  religious  or  political  belief  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
or  the  Faculty  of  said  institution,  either  directly  or  indirectly."  In 
his  prospectus  of  the  University,  declaring  the  principles  upon  which 
it  was  foiTuded,  Captain  Partridge  begins  as  follows : — ' '  Everything  of 


•  tf 


1 


w 


v. 


M 

I— • 

u-1 

00 

o 

Pi 

< 

..„..-„^s , 

m...  .            i  W^W^ 

I^PPj 

a  @  gar 
^  m  ua  as 

♦*         '  1 

^  m  sss  m 

^                                                             i 

isi  sss  era 

X 

-^^tofci^ij^'^^^^^' -  ^^r^MfflBB^j^Q'^ 

bi 


z 


c 
o 


PROSPECTUS    OP    NORWICH    UNIVERSITY  lit 

a  sectarian  character  in  religion  is  utterly  excluded  from  its  walls.  The 
founders  of  this  Institution,  as  well  as  the  legislature  of  Vermont 
which  granted  the  act  of  incorporation,  believed  that  there  was  no 
natural  or  necessary  connection  l)etween  the  propagation  of  sectarian 
dogmas,  and  education  rightly  understood.  They  believed  that  the 
great  object  of  education  should  be  to  prepare  youth  in  the  best  pos- 
sible manner  for  the  correct  and  efficient  discharge  of  the  great  duties 
of  life,  in  any  situation  in  which  fortune  or  circumstances  may  j^lace 
them,  by  the  due  cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  phijsical  and 
moral  energies,  and  the  storing  of  their  minds  with  useful  human 
knowledge.  They  believed  that  by  such  a  system  our  youth  would 
become  patriotic  citizens  and  useful  members  of  society,  instead  of 
going  forth  into  the  world  bigoted  sectarians  and  wrangling  theo- 
logians, aiming  to  stir  up  excitements  and  introduce  discord  into  the 
community,  thereby  destroying  that  respect  which  the  great  body  of 
the  people  feel  for  pure  religion,  and  inflicting  upon  it  serious  injury. 
Good  morals,  however,  and  a  sacred  regard  for  the  great  principles  of 
religion,  as  understood  and  reverenced  by  the  great  majority  of  the 
people,  are  strictlj^  and  earnestly  inculcated.  The  students  are  re- 
quired to  attend  divine  service  on  the  Sabbath,  except  such  as  have 
conscientious  scruples  to  doing  so.  Those  who  do  not  attend  church, 
are  strictly  required  to  remain  in  their  rooms  during  church  time. 
The  reading  and  careful  examination  of  the  Bible  are  earnestly  en- 
joined upon  all." 

Colonel  Ransom,  too,  soon  after  assuming  the  duties  of  president, 
after  quoting  (in  the  annual  catalogue  of  1843-4)  from  the  act  of  in- 
corporation of  the  University  as  above  recited,  proceeds  to  say:  "From 
these  extracts  it  will  be  seen  that  the  University  is  based  on  broad  and 
liberal  principles,  both  in  respect  to  politics  and  religion,  and  that  it 
recognizes  the  creed  of  no  sect  or  party, — thus  being  modeled  after,  and 
corresponding  to,  the  great  civil  and  political  institutions  of  our  coun- 
try, and  suited  to  the  character  of  a  free  people. 

******* 

"To  give  our  youth  an  education  that  shall  be  American  in  its 
character — to  enable  them  to  act  as  well  as  to  tJiink, to  execute  as  well  as 
to  coiceive,*  to  'tolerate  all  opinions  when  reason  is  left  free  to  com- 


*The  italics  in  the  above  extracts  are  by  Captain  Partridge  and  Colonel  Ransom. 


il2  hlSTORY    OF   NORWICM 

bat  them/  to  make  moral,  patriotic,  efficient  and  useful  citizens,  and 
to  qualify  them  for  all  those  high  responsibilities  resting  upon  a 
citizen  of  this  free  republic^ — -was  the  design  of  the  founders  of  this 
College. ' ' 

It  is  believed  that  the  character  and  policy  of  the  University,  as 
above  outlined,  was  ever  faithfully  adhered  to  hy  each  of  the  above 
broad-minded  and  liberal  men.  It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  im- 
agine either  Captain  Partridge  or  Colonel  Ransom  condescending  to 
revoke  the  engagement  of  a  Commencement  orator  selected  and  paid 
by  their  students,  on  account  of  the  supposed  heterodox  opinions  of 
such  orator  on  topics  of  current  discussion ;  or  to  think  of  them  a3  en- 
gaged in  borrowing  petmanently  from  the  libraries  of  Norwich  Uni- 
versity, books  donated  by  the  students  themselves,  lest  their  minds 
should  become  infected  by  theological  heresies  thought  to  be  contained 
in  such  books,  as  has  repeatedly  been  done  by  the  faculty  of  a  neigh- 
boring institution  even  in  recent  years. 

The  service  that  Norwich  University  did  for  the  country,  in  furnish- 
ing a  supply  of  trained  and  competent  officers  for  commanding  and 
drilling  the  armies  which  the  loyal  North  sent  into  the  field  during  the 
first  years  of  the  rebellion,  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  The  follow- 
ing number  of  graduates  from  Norwich  University,  with  their  rank  in 
the  service,  is  taken  from  the  history  of  that  institution,  lately  pub- 
lished, viz: — 

Army  : 


Major  Generals 

6 

Surgeons  with  rank  of  Major 

10 

Brigadier  Generals 

S 

Assistant  Surgeons  with  rank  of 

Surgeon  Generals 

I 

Captain 

7 

Colonels  with  brevet  rank  of  Brig- 

Captains 

155 

adier  Generals 

14 

First  Lieutenants 

68 

Colonels 

35 

Second  Lieutenants 

23 

Lieutenant  Colonels 

34 

Non-commissioned  officers  and 

Majors 

24 

enlisted  men 

82 

Total 

467 

Na 

vy: 

Admirals 

I 

Chaplains 

I 

Rear-Admirals 

2 

Commanders 

2 

Commodores 

6 

Lieutenant  Commanders 

I 

Captains 

7 

Total  20 


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a; 


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H 

D 

J. 

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Qi 

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— ^ 

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THE   ^'COLLEGE    CAVALIERS  1 13 

The  above  honorable  list  includes  George  Dewey,  Admiral,  U.  S. 
Navy;  and  (natives  of  Norwich)  G.  A.  Converse,  rear-admiral,  U.  S. 
Navy;  G.  P.  Colvocoresses,  captain,  U.  S.  Navy;  Edward  B.  Williston 
and  T.  E.  G.  Ransom,  bri<^adier-generals,  U.  S.  Army. 

In  response  to  an  urgent  call  for  troops  for  the  defense  of  Wash- 
ington, in  the  early  summer  of  1862,  a  company  of  cavalry  was  raised 
at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  composed  of  students  from  Dartmouth  College  to 
the  number  of  about  forty,  who  were  joined  by  twenty  cadets  from 
Norwich  University,  by  a  few  college  graduates  and  friends  of  the 
students,  and  three  or  four  from  Bowdoin  College  to  make  up  a  full 
cavalry  troop  of  eighty-two  men.  Mr.  S.  S.  Burn  of  the  Junior  class 
of  Dartmouth,  who  was  the  prime  mover  in  the  enterprise,  was  chosen 
captain  and  Theodore  H.  Kellogg  of  Hillsboro,  0.,  and  Wm.  H.  Stevens 
of  Woodstock,  Vt.,  first  and  second  lieutenants.  This  is  said  to  have 
been  the  only  instance  of  a  military  organization  composed  distinctively 
of  college  students  that  served  in  the  Union  Armv  during'  the  war.  As 
there  was  no  cavalry  corps  then  forming  in  either  Vermont  or  New 
Hampshire,  the  company  offered  their  services  to  Governor  Sprague 
of  Rhode  Island,  who  was  recruiting  a  squadron  of  mounted  men,  and 
were  promptly  accepted. 

An  interesting  little  volume  called  TJie  College  Cavaliers,  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  S.  B.  Pettengill,  of  Grafton,  Vt.,  who  was  one  of 
the  Dartmouth  students  composing  the  company,  shows  that  they  did 
gallant  service  for  the  country  during  the  three  months'  campaign 
(the  period  of  their  enlistment)  in  which  they  were  engaged.  The 
company  left  Hanover  for  Providence  June  18th,  where  they  were 
joined  with  another  company  raised  in  that  city  to  form  the  seventh 
squadron  of  Rhode  Island  cavalry.  Here  they  received  their  equip- 
ment and  were  drilled  a  few  days  by  ]\Iajor  A.  W.  Corliss,  who  had 
been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  detachment.  The  squadron 
reached  Washington  June  30th,  and  remained  near  that  place  and 
Alexandria,  Va.,  during  most  of  July  under  constant  drill.  About  the 
1st  of  August  they  were  ordered  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  were 
attached  to  the  infantry  brigade  of  General  Julius  AVhite  of  Indiana. 
In  this  vicinity  they  were  engaged  in  active  service  for  several  weeks, 
doing  picket  duty,  making  reconnaissances  and  pursuing  rebel  raiders, 
until,  early  in  September,  on  the  advance  of  General  Lee  with  the 


114  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

whole  Confederate  Army  into  Maryland,  they  were  shut  np  with  ten 
thousand  Union  soldiers  in  Harper's  Ferry,  nnder  the  command  of 
Col.  D.  H.  Miles.  With  the  other  Union  Cavalry  to  the  number  of 
about  two  thousand,  belonging  to  Colonel  Miles'  division,  the  ''College 
Cavaliers"  escaped  capture  by  resolutely  cutting  their  way  through 
the  rebel  lines  then  completely  investing  the  place,  on  the  night  pre- 
ceding the  surrender,  September  15th. 

The  term  of  service  for  which  they  had  enlisted  was  now  just  ex- 
piring, but  they  generously  volunteered  to  remain  until  after  the  battle 
of  Antietam  and  the  hasty  retreat  from  Maryland  of  the  rebel  army 
had  relieved  the  country  from  immediate  alarm  and  anxiety.  They 
were  mustered  out  of  service  at  Providence  October  1,  1862,  having 
done  considerable  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  although  not  present  in 
any  important  engagement,  and  having  received  the  highest  praise  of 
their  commanding  officers  for  bravery  and  good  conduct.  None  of 
their  number  fell  in  battle.  Cadet  A.  W.  Coombs,  of  Thetford,  died 
of  typhoid  fever  at  AYinchester,  Ya.,  about  the  middle  of  August.  Two 
others  were  captured  by  the  enemy  about  the  same  time,  were  taiven 
to  Richmond,  and  after  a  brief  stay  in  Libby  Prison  were  discharged 
in  time  to  be  mustered  out  with  their  comrades  at  Providence.  We 
append  a  list  of  the  Norwich  Cadets  who  served  in  this  company,  with 
name,  rank,  and  residence  : — 

Theodore  H.  Kellogg,  First  Lieutenant,  Hillsboro,  0. 
Tillinghas,  Adjutant. 
Bush,  Sergeant  Major. 

Henry  E.  Alvord,  First  Sergeant,  Greenfield,  Mass. 

George  A.  Bailey,  Corporal,  Woodstock,  Vt. 
Douglas  Lee,  Corporal,  Lenox,  Mass. 

W.  L.  Burnap,  Private,  Grafton,  Vt. 

A.  W.  Coombs,  Private,  Thetford,  Vt. 

W^"^  S.  Dewey,  Private,  Quechee,  Vt. 

E.  J.  Everett,  Private,  Greenfield,  Mass. 

C.  W.  Gregg,  Private,  Boston,  Mass. 

W'"  S.  Goodwin,  Private,  Boston,  Mass. 

A.  T.  Hastings,  Private,  West  Medway,  Mass. 

W.  S.  Hazelton,  Private,  Strafford,  Vt. 

Arthur  Morey,  Private,  Norwich,  Vt. 


NORWICH    UNIVERSITY    ALUMNI  II5 


A.  L.  Papanti,  Private,  Boston,  Mass. 

n.  X.  Phillips,  Private,  Greenfield,  Mass. 

C.  W.  Smith,  Private,  Washington,  Vt. 

F.  H.  Walcott,  Private,  New  York  Mills,  N.  Y. 

E.  P.  Walcott,  Private,  Utica,  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


POLITICAL  PARTIES   IN  NORWICH 

The  strength  of  the  great  political  parties  that  have  divided  the 
suffrages  of  the  country  almost  since  the  union  of  the  States  under  the 
Constitution  has  usually  been  pretty  evenly  balanced  in  Norwich. 
Elections  have  been  sharply  contested,  and  party  feeling  has  frequently 
run  high.  Up  to  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  (1854  or 
1855)  a  majority  of  the  voters  in  town  generally  ranged  themselves 
with  the  political  disciples  of  Jefferson  and  Jackson,  though  on  several 
occasions,  notably  in  the  Harrison  campign  of  1840,  their  ascendancy 
was  successfully  contested  by  the  Whigs.  In  the  state  election  of 
1854,  the  Democrats  lost  the  hold  upon  the  town  which  they  had  main- 
tained with  few  interruptions  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century.  During 
the  years  that  have  succeeded,  they  have  never,  at  any  state  or  general 
election,  succeeded  in  rallying  a  majority  to  the  support  of  their  candi- 
dates for  office. 

Inasmuch  as  the  history  of  a  town,  in  the  larger  forms  of  govern- 
mental action,  unites  and  blends  with  that  of  the  State  and  nation,  we 
give  a  brief  survey  of  the  changes  of  political  opinion  in  Norwich,  as 
shown  by  the  votes  of  the  freemen  at  successive  elections. 

During  the  presidency  of  John  Adams  the  old  Federal  and  Republi- 
can parties  took  their  definite  shape.  At  this  time,  and  until  the  second 
term  of  Jefferson's  administration  the  political  bias  of  the  town  was 
decidedly  Federal.  As  presidential  electors  were  chosen  by  the  legis- 
lature until  1828,  there  was  no  popular  vote  for  president  in  Vermont 
prior  to  the  election  of  that  year.  Isaac  Tichenor  was  the  Federal  can- 
didate for  governor  from  1797  to  1810,  and  the  records  show  that  he 
received  the  support  of  the  town  for  that  office  at  nine  out  of  the 
thirteen  elections  included  in  that  period.  In  1803  Jonathan  Robin- 
son, the  Republican  nominee,  led  Tickenor  by  a  large  majority  in  Nor- 


EARLY    POLITICAL    PARTIES  II/ 

Avich,  but  in  the  next  two  years  fell  slightly  behind.  In  1807  and  1808 
the  Republicans  were  again  ahead,  giving  Israel  Smith  a  majority 
which  he,  however,  lost  again  in  1809,  in  the  town  as  he  did  also  in  the 
State,  the  embargo,  Jefferson's  pet  measure  for  preventing  war  with 
Britain  and  France,  proving  very  unpopular  in  New  England. 

Israel  Smith  was  the  first  governor  elected  by  the  Republicans  after 
party  lines  were  strictly  drawn  in  Vermont.  In  1810,  Republican  as- 
cendency was  well  established  in  both  town  and  State,  Jonas  Galusha 
being  chosen  governor  in  that  year  and  holding  the  executive  chair  con- 
tinuously till  1820;  except  the  years  1813  and  1814,  when  Martin  Chit- 
tenden, Federalist,  defeated  him  in  the  legislature,  there  being  no 
choice  by  the  people.  The  Norwich  Republicans,  however,  with  whom 
the  war  was  popular,  encouraged  by  Lieutenant  Governor  Brigham  and 
other  leading  townsmen,  kept  their  ranks  unbroken  while  the  State 
reverted  to  Federalism. — The  statement  of  the  vote  for  governor  in 
Norwich  during  these  three  years  of  war  with  England  is  as  follows :  — 

1812  Jonas  Galusha,  Republican,  182 ;  Martin  Chittenden,  Federal- 
ist, 100;  Scattering,  9. 

1813  Galusha,  165 ;  Chittenden,  103 ;  Scattering,  5. 

1814  Galusha,  165 ;  Chittenden,  108 ;  Scattering,  9. 

The  steadfastness  of  the  party  vote  on  both  sides  at  these  elections 
shows  the  earnestness  of  politics  at  this  time  and  proves  that  every 
ballot  was  counted.  By  like  majorities.  Pierce  Burton,  Republican, 
was  chosen  representative  to  the  general  assembly  in  1812  and  1813, 
and  Doctor  Israel  Newton  in  1814,  over  Reuben  Hatch,  Federalist. 
Pierce  Burton  first  represented  the  town  in  1802  and  again  in  1805, 
1809,  1810,  and  1811 — thus  marking  the  growing  preference  for  the 
Jeffersonian  politics  in  the  town. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1815,  there  was  a  lull  in  party  strife 
for  ten  or  twelve  years,  resulting  in  the  gradual  disintegration  of  the 
old  Federal  and  Republican  parties  and  the  bringing  in  of  the  so- 
called  "era  of  good  feeling"  in  politics  (1820-1828).  The  volume  of 
the  popular  vote  which  had  reached  an  aggregate  of  over  35,000  in  the 
State  in  1814,  but  fell  to  16,000  at  the  election  of  1818  and  to  less  than 
12,000  in  1826,  attests  that  partisan  politics  were  now  at  a  very  low 
ebb  in  Vermont,  and  notes  the  subsidence  of  that  party  rage  which  cul- 
minated during  the  last  year  of  the  war. 


Il8  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

During  this  period  of  harmony  the  town  was  represented  in  the  legis- 
lature by  Don  J.  Brigham,  second  son  of  Governor  Brigham  (1815- 
1820),  by  Aaron  Loveland  (1820-1824),  and  by  Thomas  Emerson 
(1824-1828).  At  the  September  election  of  1823,  Judge  Loveland  re- 
ceived all  the  votes  but  one  cast  for  town  representative,  the  total 
vote  for  governor  being  only  sixty-one  at  the  same  election.  That  year 
probably  witnessed  the  low  water  mark  of  political  excitement  during 
the  first  half  century  of  Vermont  history.  In  1827  and  1828  there  was 
a  memorable  contest  between  Thomas  Emerson  and  Judge  Loveland 
for  the  legislature,  resulting  in  the  choice  of  Mr.  Emerson  by  a  small 
majority  each  year — in  1828,  by  twenty-three  votes  out  of  a  total  of 
369,  a  much  larger  number  than  had  been  cast  at  any  previous  elec- 
tion, and  never  exceeded  afterwards  except  by  a  small  excess  in  the 
presidential  elections  of  1840  and  1844. 

A  departure  in  national  politics  marked  the  accession  of  Andrew 
Jackson  to  the  presidency  in  1828,  and  in  the  years  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  Whig  and  Democratic  parties  were  evolved  out  of  some- 
w^hat  diverse  materials,  and  new  affiliations  of  the  voting  masses  took 
place.  From  1830  to  1835,  Anti-Masonry  continued  to  be  a  disturbing 
element  in  the  political  cauldron,  Vermont  electing  an  Anti-Mason 
(William  A.  Palmer)  to  the  gubernatorial  chair  in  the  years  1831  to 
1835,  and  giving  her  solitary  electoral  vote  to  the  Anti-Masonic  can- 
didate for  president  in  1832,  AVilliam  Wirt  of  Maryland.  Anti-Ma- 
sonry, how^ever,  never  gained  a  firm  foothold  in  Norwich.  It  reached 
the  zenith  of  its  popularity  about  the  year  1833,  when  Palmer,  Anti- 
Mason,  received  a  plurality  of  five  votes  over  Ezra  Meech,  Democrat, 
for  governor.  Even  in  that  year.  Captain  Alden  Partridge  was  chosen 
representative  by  131  votes  to  ninety-five  for  Judge  Loveland  and 
seven  scattering,  and  was  re-elected  in  1834,  1837,  and  1839,  in  the 
latter  year  defeating  Thomas  Hazen,  Whig,  who  had  represented  the 
town  the  year  before  after  a  close  canvass  against  Doctor  Ira  Davis, 
Democrat.  Captain  Partridge  was  also  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  for  Congress  in  1830,  1834,  1836,  and  1838,  in  the  latter 
two  years,  when  but  two  tickets  were  in  the  field,  beating  his  Whig 
competitor.  Honorable  Horace  Everett. 

As  early  as  1834  the  Democratic  phalanx  appears  w^ll  organized 
and  drilled  in  Norwich,  and  during  the  next  twenty  years  it  marched 


PERIOD    OF    DEMOCRATIC    ASCENDENCY  IIQ 

steadily  on,  with  the  i)i'estige  of  almost  uninterrupted  success.  This 
period  (1833-1854)  may  be  fitly  called  the  period  of  Democratic  as- 
cendency in  town.  Of  these  twenty  years  the  Democrats  elected  the 
representative  in  fourteen,  the  Whigs  in  bu.t  five,  with  no  choice  in  one 
year.  Of  the  five  presidential  elections  occurrinfi"  in  the  same  time,  the 
only  decided  success  of  the  Whigs  was  that  of  1840,  when  the  tidal 
wave  that  carried  General  Harrison  to  the  highest  office  in  the  land, 
and  revolutionized  the  political  control  of  a  dozen  States,  engulfed  the 
Norwich  Democrats  and  gave  the  Whig  electors  a  majority  of  sixty-one 
in  a  total  poll  of  382  votes.  At  every  election  but  one  (1840)  for  a 
score  of  years,  the  Democrats  of  Norwich  gave  their  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, and  in  every  year  but  three  (1840,  1847,  and  1851)  their  State 
ticket,  a  majority  of  votes  in  town, — or  a  plurality  after  the  advent  of 
the  Free  Soil  party. 

It  must  not  be  inferred,  however,  that  the  opposition  to  the  De- 
mocracy was  idle  or  indifi:erent  in  those  years.  Nearly  every  election 
was  contested  with  desperate  energy.  Often  the  result  was  almost  a 
drawn  battle,  decided  by  a  narrow  margin  of  less  than  a  dozen  votes. 
In  twelve  out  of  twenty  consecutive  years,  the  successful  candidate  for 
town  representative  was  chosen  on  a  slender  majority  of  from  six  to 
sixteen  votes  in  an  aggregate  of  300  to  350  ballots  cast.  In  1842 
Doctor  Ira  Davis,  Democrat,  was  elected  by  eleven  majority  and  in 
the  following  year  re-elected  by  the  same  number,  on  the  third  ballot. 
In  1845  and  1846  Doctor  Converse,  Whig,  was  successful,  in  the  former 
year  after  six  ballotings,  and  in  the  latter  year  by  the  fifth  balloting, 
by  six  majority.  In  1847  William  Loveland,  Whig,  had  eight  majority 
on  the  seventh  ballot,  and  in  1848  there  was  no  choice  after  twelve 
ballotings.  In  1851  Samuel  Goddard,  Whig,  received  eight  majority  on 
the  fourth  ballot,  and  in  1852  Lewis  S.  Partridge,  Democrat,  thirteen 
majority  on  the  second  ballot,  and  Mr.  Partridge  was  re-elected  the 
next  year  by  seven  majority  in  a  total  poll  of  343  votes. 

Meanwhile  a  new  political  organization  based  upon  opposition  to  the 
extension  of  slavery  was  rapidly  coming  into  notice.  The  anti-slavery 
sentiment  early  took  firm  root  in  Norwich.  Beginning  with  the  birth 
of  the  ''Liberty  Party"  in  1840,  when  one  vote  was  cast  by  Deacon 
Sylvester  Morris  for  James  G.  Birney  (who  received  but  319  in  the 
State  and  some  seven  thousand  in  the  whole  country),  the  party  gained 


120  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

in  numbers  from  year  to  year,  and  drew  to  itself  some  of  the  best  ma- 
terial of  both  the  old  parties.  As  early  as  the  year  1845  its  voters  easily 
held  the  balance  of  power  between  Whigs  and  Democrats — an  advan- 
tage they  were  not  slow  to  use  to  advance  their  party  interests.  They 
polled  thirty-nine  votes  that  year  for  William  R.  Slafter,  for  governor, 
and  three  years  later  gave  Morrill  J.  Walker  ninety-five  votes  for 
town  representative.  Their  support  was  courted  by  both  the  old  par- 
ties, chiefly  by  putting  in  nomination  men  who  sympathized  with  their 
distinctive  opinions.  By  their  help  Doctor  Shubael  Converse,  a  Whig 
of  anti-slavery  proclivities,  was  sent  to  the  legislature  in  1845  and  1846. 
But  in  1849-50  the  State  witnessed  a  general  coalition  of  Free  Soilers 
and  Democrats,  and  Horatio  Needham,  Free  Democrat,  received  a  ma- 
jority of  eighty-three  in  Norwich  over  Carlos  Cooledge,  Whig,  who  was 
made  governor  by  the  legislature,  for  want  of  an  election  by  the  pop- 
ular vote. 

The  question  of  slavery  extension  had  now  become  the  absorbing 
question  of  the  hour,  in  which  all  the  old  political  differences  were 
speedily  sunk  and  forgotten.  A  general  break-up  of  existing  parties 
was  at  hand  and  a  recombination  of  their  elements  into  new  forms. 
Before  1856  the  Whig  party  had  disappeared  forever  in  Vermont,  and 
in  the  presidential  election  of  that  year  Norwich  gave  its  suffrage 
in  a  proportion  of  more  than  two  to  one  to  the  candidates  of  the  young 
and  vigorous  Republican  organization  of  the  country.  Such  was  the 
answer  of  the  town  and  State  to  the  imperious  demand  of  the  American 
Slavocracy,  that  slavery  be  made  national  and  freedom  sectional, 
through  inhuman  Fugitive  Slave  Laws,  repeal  of  the  time-honored 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  Border-Ruffianism  in  Kansas.  With  the 
election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860,  this  new  party  took  the  helm  of 
administration  and  a  new  chapter  was  opened  in  the  political  history 
of  the  country,  the  record  of  whose  pages  is  not  yet  complete.  This 
record,  familiar  to  the  memory  of  living  men  and  pregnant  with  events 
of  mighty  import  to  the  American  people  and  to  the  human  race,  it 
will  be  the  task  of  the  future  historian  to  trace. 

Votes  for  President — 1828  to  1900 

1828 
John  Quincy  Adams,  Nat.  Republican  172 

Andrew  Jackson,  Democrat  35 


NORWICH    PRESIDENTIAL    VOTES  121 

1832 

William  Wirt,  Anti-Mason  42 

Heniy   Clay,   Nat.   Republican  73 

Andrew  Jackson,  Democrat  43 

1836 

Martin  VanBuren,  Democrat  137 

William  II.   Harrison,  Whig'  93 

1840 

William  H.  Harrison,  Whig-  221 

Martin  Van  Buren,  Democrat  160 

James  G.  Birney,  Liberty  1 

1844 

Henry  Clay,  Whig  164 

James  K.  Polk,  Democrat  163 

James  G.  Birney,  Liberty  12 

1848 

Lewis   Cass,   Democrat  125 

Zachary  Taylor,  Whig  112 

Charles  Francis  Adams,  Free  Soil  96 

1852 

Franklin   Pierce,   Democrat  129 

Winfield  Scott,  AVhig  119 

John  P.  Hale,  Free  Soil  65 

1856 

John  C.  Fremont,  Republican  222 

James  Buchanan,  Democrat  109 

1860 

Abraham   Lincoln,    Republican  210 

John  C.  Breckenridge,  Democrat  92 

Stephen  A.  Douglass,  Democrat  7 

1864 

Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican  216 

George  B.  ]\IcClellan,  Democrat  150 

1868 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Republican  228 

Horatio  Seymour,  Democrat  109 


122  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

1872  "    ■ 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Republican  191 

Horace  Greeley,  Democrat  30 

Charles  O'Connor,  Democrat  32 

1876 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  Republican  194 

Samuel  J.  Tilden,  Democrat  157 

1880 

James  A.  Garfield,  Republican  235 

Winfield  S.  Hancock,  Democrat  116 

Neal  Dow,  Prohibition                                           _  1 

1884 

James  G.  Blaine,  Republican  183 

Grover  Cleveland,  Democrat  116 

John  P.  St.  John,  Prohibition  15 

1892 

Benjamin  Harrison,  Republican  154 

Grover  Cleveland,  Democrat  75 

1896 

William  McKinley,  Republican  194 

William  J.  Bryan,  Democrat  40 

1900 

William  McKinley,  Republican  162 

William  J.  Bryan,  Democrat  60 


CHAPTER  XV 


POSTMASTERS  AND  POSTAL  SERVICE 

It  was  fifteen  years  after  the  admission  of  Vermont  into  the  Federal 
Union,  and  forty  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  town,  before  Nor- 
wich had  a  postof!ice.  The  first  postoffice  was  established  at  Norwich 
Plain,  Jnly  1,  1805,  and  Jacob  Burton  was  appointed  postmaster. 
Postmaster  Burton  kept  the  of^ce  in  his  harness  shop  on  the  main  street 
of  the  village,  nearly  opposite  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  Wm.  E. 
Lewis.  Probably  the  duties  of  the  ofBce  were  not  so  great  as  to  inter- 
fere much  with  the  prosecution  of  his  trade.  It  is  doubtful  if  Mr. 
Burton  had  more  than  two  mails  per  week  to  distribute,  and  these 
were  much  smaller  in  bulk  than  either  of  the  three  daily  mails  now 
received  at  the  village  office.  It  is  certain  that  less  mail  matter  was 
then  handled  here  in  the  course  of  a  year  than  now  in  a  week,  although 
the  territory  accommodated  at  the  office  and  the  population  of  the  town 
itself  were  each  considerably  greater  than  at  present.  It  is  safe  to 
say,  moreover,  that  the  people  now  living'  in  Norwich  receive  more  let- 
ters and  miscellaneous  mail  matter  every  year  than  did  all  the  150,000 
inhabitants  of  Vermont  in  the  year  1805.  The  postoffice  is  essentially 
a  modern  institution,  whose  importance  and  value  increases  year  by 
year  Avith  cheaper  postage  and  the  general  diffusion  of  cheap  printrd 
matter  among  the  people. 

At  the  time  of  the  admission  of  Vermont  into  the  Union,  in  1791. 
there  were  only  five  postoffices  in  the  State  (at  Brattleboro,  Windsor, 
and  Newbury  on  the  Connecticut  river,  and  at  Bennington  and  Kut- 
land,  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains),  to  accommodate  a  popula- 
tion of  85,000.  In  these  towns,  then  the  chief  centers  of  population 
and  business,  postoffices  had  been  established  several  years  before  by 
State  authority,  and  the  number  of  offices  in  the  State  was  not  ma- 


124  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

t('i'i{ill\  iiicroMScd  for  some  lime  jil'lcr  llic  postjil  service  \\;is  tiinicd 
iWi'V  lo  I  lie  l^\'<l(M';il  uoN'.'niiiicnl.  IMcji^cr  ;is  such  iii;iil  r.icililics  were, 
llicy  were  prohnbl  v  more  lil)er;il  lli.iii  \\(>i-e  u'ciicrjil  I  y  eiiJoNcd  1»\'  the 
people  of  Hie  I'liilcd  Slides  ;d  lli.d  d.iy.  Indeed,  the  iiiiiiilx  r  (»!'  |)os1,- 
ol'liees  in  llie  w  iioh'  eoiiid  ry  \\;is  hiil  sexculy-liNc  in  ITi)!),  and  I  he  live 
nppi-opri;d('d  lo  \'ernionl,  ludicrously  inade(|u;de  as  il  seems  lo  day, 
with  almost  500  posloflices  within  our  borders,  was  more  than  three 
times  what  the  State  would  ha\<'  been  eiitilled  to,  il'  dislrihulcd  lo  liu; 
connlry  slrielU  on  the  basis  ol'  population,  h'rom  an  earl_\'  period  it 
is  probable  that  Norwich  people  had  recei\-ed  more  or  less  of  their 
mail  at    llaiioxcr,  where  a   |)ostoriice  had  been  opened  as  early  as   170.">. 

rre\  ions  to  1701^,  tlie  mails  in  N'eiiiionI,  as  well  as  throiiuh  the 
eonidry,  had  been  carried  clii;'lly  by  |»osl  riders  on  horseback.  I)iniiru' 
thai  year  a  new  wcekl^s'  mail  stai;'e  was  put  on  from  S|)riiiL!lield,  Mass., 
to  llano\-er,  X.  II.,  ria  Ural  t  leboro,  (  Miai'lestown,  and  W'indso!-.  About 
ISOT  a  tri  wceldy  mail  sta.ur  Nvns  run  up  the  Connect  icnl  ri\t'r  from 
Boston  to  iianox'er,  alVordin^'  a  mail  e\('r\'  olliei-  day  IVom  the  o!<|er 
parts  of  the  country;  and  a  fewyeai's  latei-  this  line  (now  nia  CoiHtoi'd, 
iN.  II.)  was  extended  I'rom  ilano\'ei'  to  Moid  peliei'  on  the  new  lurn- 
j)ike  Ihroniih  Norwich,  StralVord,  and  (-helsea.  This  was  the  perma- 
neid  mail  route  I'or  many  years.  'riie  mail  slaue  lel'l  llaiio\'ei-  I'or 
Motitpeiier  Ixd'ore  li^ht  in  Hie  morinnu',  stopping'  at  all  olliees  on  (he 
line  for  a  chanu'e  of  mails.  (*ol.  \\\\\.  Iv  Lewis,  who  acted  as  assistant 
in  the  |>ostol"lice  at  Norwich  I'or  a  short  time  about  1S.'>0,  llionulit  that 
the  mad  pouches  cari'ied  o\'er  this  imporlaid  mail  route  at  that  time 
were  about  (Mpial  in  si/.e  lo  those  which  now  brim;-  the  Norwich  mail 
twice  each  day   IVom  the  raili'oad  station. 

A  y)()storii(M'  was  opeiie*!  at  rnion  X'illa^c  January  1,  1S;>0.  This 
ol'lice,  while  within  the  limits  ol"  the  town  of  'Pliet  lord,  most  <'oii- 
venieiitly  sii|)pries  their  mail  lo  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  part  of 
Norwich.  Morrill  d.  Walker  was  the  lirst  postmaster  an  ol'tice  which 
he  held  continuously  for  twenty  six  years.  Shortly  after  the  buildiiiL;' 
ol"  t  h(^  (Connecticut  and  rassnmpsic  l»i\'ers  L'ailroad  tliroiij^h  .Norwich, 
ill  is  Is,  aiiolher  postol'liee  was  established  near  the  mouth  of  the  l*om 
panoosiie,  reeei\iii'4  its  name  from  the  rix'cr  roiiipanoosiic  or  ()mpom- 
panoosiie,  an  Indian  word  iiicaiiinu'  'Mhe  place  of  \vv\  white  stones." 
Here  Heiij.  rreslon  was  the  lirst  postmaster. 


ifOKMKR   roSTiMASriKS    ANP    l.iH  A  I  UA'S    OV    POSTOFFICES        ll^J 

'rill'  follow  ill,":  ;!!•(>  llio  nnmcs  of  \\\c  poslmnsliM-s  ;il   llic  scvtMiil   post 
ofrut's  ill  tt>\\ii.  ;iiul  the  lonii  of  oIVh'c  of  »>;ii'h  : 

Joseph  Iviirtoii  ;ii>poiiilril  .liil_\  I,  IS(V);  (!('oi'":t'  U'llcs  ;i  ppoiiilcd 
Nov.  '.K  ISII.  (\\iiis  r;irln(l",o  .'ippoiiilod  rhiii  I,  ISIS;  Jjisoii  Allen 
jippoiiiled  Apr  I.,  ISlM);  ( \\  riis  rail  lul^c  appoiiitoil  \'o\  .  L*'J,  1S:.*1; 
i;os\\,>II  SlniillolV  s(>r\«>(l  lS:;i  IS;>(i;  John  \\'ii<-hl  soiNt'd  ISoTIS;*!); 
\\:\\[rv  \\.  Nowlon  S(M-\0(I  ISIlMSII;  ha  l>a\is  s,m\(>(I  ISM  ISh); 
llai\('v  r>niloii  s(M\eil  ISi!*  IS,">.'>;  John  \\'ii"lil  set  Ned  1  S^o  IS;");'); 
Lewis  S,  Tai  Iridic  serxed  ISoo  1S,»(  ,  Ktlwaid  M.  Lewis  s«m\(«I  lsr>7- 
LSiil  ;  P^anklin  L.  ( >hls  seiw  cd  LSlil  LSS.) ;  Lew  is  S,  Larl  rid<V(>  served 
LSS;')-lSS(i;  J.  T.  Moirisoii  sei\(>d  LSSC  ISSIL  Ldwaid  W  Olds  served 
LSS!)  LS!M  ;  L  K  M.-nill  s.m\ cd  ISHI  ISD,;  j'V  \V  liawlev  served  ISHT. 
lilO'J;    I'Mward    W     Olds  served    lIUI:?      pr<'seiil    lime. 

il  IS  nol  i.nown  wlieie  (Jeori^e  l\ih\v  Kepi  llie  ofiiei*.  »l}|soii  AIUmi 
kepi  olliee  either  in  I  li(>  house  now  (»eeiipied  hv  Miss  Sarah  Traeev  or 
jlisl  aer(»ss  I  he  si  reel  where  I  he  lal(>  l>r.  S,  ||.  ('nrrier  resided  Al 
dilVeitMil  limes  Allen  lived  iii  hi>lli  1  li(>se  houses,  ('vriis  l'ailrid",e  i^holh 
lerms'i.  Iu>sw(>ll  Sliiiiileir,  rioliii  W'ri'dil  ^Isl  leriiO.  and  l'.a\ler  Iv 
New  Ion    had    I  h(>  olliee   where    lleiiry    Larv    resides. 

Al  liisl,  Ira  Havis  kepi  I  he  olliee  in  I  he  stuilli  ioimii  (»!"  I  he  hi  lek 
hiiildiinv  deslroved  hv  lire  |)ee»>iiiher  'J'J,  LSS!l,  jiisl  sonlli  of  ''Lnioii 
llolel,  "  and  pari  ol"  I  he  lime  in  I  he  small  simiIIi  annex  lo  James  i'wv 
iiers  house.  I>iiiiii>',  llarvcv  liurlon's  term  I  he  olliee  was  kepi  in  a 
small  hiiildin"  llial  slood  helween  I  he  preseiil  re^adelle^^s  of  William 
IVieknell  and  Mdward  W  (  Hds  'The  hnildiip'  was  suhseipienl  I v  moved 
across  the  si  reel  and  placed  close  lo  I  he  imilli  end  (d"  l'\  L.  and  11  \\ 
()lds'  slore,  where  il  \  lelded  lo  I  he  llames  Aii'-nsi  L  LST.").  John 
WlMlI'llI  1  LM  leriii  )  kept  I  he  olliee  in  I  he  iiorl  h  room  of  I  he  hriek  hiidd 
\\\iX  (owned  hv  himseir^  where  Ira  Lav  is  previonslv  kep!  I  he  olliee, 
L»'W  is  Larlridi^'c  (  Isl  lei  in)  and  Ldward  .\l  Lewis  kepi  I  he  ollie*'  in 
a  small  hnildiii"  llial  slood  on  I  he  wesi  side  ol'  I  he  sireel,  jiisl  iiorl  h  ol" 
(harles  Iv  I'aisworlhs  premises,  and  (pule  close  lo  I  he  sireel.  The 
hiiildiii"  was  placed  lliere  hv  L.  W .  .\lall(»oii  and  used  hv  him  for  a 
lailor's  shop.  The  hiiildiii!;'  is  now  I  he  home  ol"  .\liel  IJehard,  jilsl 
nt'illi  of  I  he  villa!^(>.  Wdiile  h'ranklin  L  ()l(ls  was  |)os(mnsler.  I  he 
olliee  was  kepi  in  l'\  L  and  K.  \\ .  ()lds'  slore  (where  Maw  lev's  slore 
is).  Lewis  S  LarlridL':e  ( '-M  leriii  )  had  Hie  olliee  in  a  hnildiii;:  jilsl, 
iioiih  (d"  ()l(ls'  sloi-e.      Dui'iii^'  Hie  leriiis  of  INloiTisoii  and   llnwiev,  \\u) 


126  HISTORY    OF  NORWICH 

office  was  kept  in  what  is  now  Hawley's  store.  Edward  W.  Olds  (1st 
term)  kept  the  office  in  the  north  end  of  the  brick  building  already 
mentioned,  and  later  in  his  dwelling  house.  At  present  the  office  is  in 
his  store  next  south  of  the  hotel.  While  L.  K.  Merrill  was  postmaster 
he  kept  the  office  in  his  store  (now  IMerrill  &  Smith's  store). 

At  Union  Village — (Office  Established  January  1,  1830) 
Morrill  J.  Walker  served  1830-1856;  K.  M.  Gleason  served  1856- 
1861;  S.  M.  Gleason  served  1861-1864;  R.  M.  Gleason  served  1861- 
1874;  Anson  W^est  served  1874-1877;  J.  K.  Blaisdell  served  1877-1896; 
H.  E.  French  served  1896-present  time. 

At  Pompanoosuc — (Office  Established  1849) 

Benjamin  Preston  served  1849-1851 ;  W.  W.  Reynolds  served  1851- 
1854;  Benjamin  Preston  served  1854-1857 ;  B.  G.  Reynolds  served  1857- 
1859;  Isaac  Pierce  served  1859-1862;  H.  F.  Reynolds  served  1862- 
1868;  J.  M.  Flint  served  1868-1876;  Hersey  E.  Kendall  served  1876- 
1902;  Cora  L.  Kendall  served  1902-present  time. 

The  office  at  West  Norwich  ("Beaver  Meadow,"  of  old)  was  estab- 
lished April  18,  1890,  with  Chauncey  Smith,  the  present  incumbent, 
as  postmaster. 

At  Lewiston  the  office  was  established  December  26,  1898,  with 
George  F.  Kibling,  postmaster,  which  position  he  has  held  continuously 
to  date  (1905). 

The  salary  of  the  postmaster  at  the  Norwich  office,  in  1823,  was 
$125.55.  Only  ten  offices  in  the  State  paid  a  higher  salary  at  that 
time. 

From,  the  information  at  hand,  it  appears  that  the  first  post  route 
through  Norwich  was  established  in  1796,  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  the 
legislature  (then  in  session  at  Windsor)  authorizing  the  laying  out 
of  a  post  road  from  the  ^Massachusetts  line  to  Newbury.  Hon.  Paul 
Brigham  of  Norwich,  Lewis  R.  Morris  of  Springfield,  and  Oliver  Gal- 
lup of  Hartland  were  a  committee  to  lay  the  route  through  Windsor 
countv. 

In  the  Vermont  register  for  1797  appears  a  list  of  several  post 
routes  already  established  in  the  State,  designated  by  numbers.  "No. 
6"  extended  from  Windsor  to  St.  Johnsbury.  The  names  of  the  sev- 
eral towns  along  the  route  are  given,  with  the  distances  between  them 


POST   ROUTES  127 

and  the  names  of  the  post  riders.  From  Hartford  to  Norwich  the  dis- 
tance given  is  two  miles  (probably  from  Hartford  postoffice  to  Nor- 
wich south  line),  and  Bunton  as  post  rider;  from  Norwich  to  Thetford, 
eleven  miles,  and  Childs,  post  rider. 

We  regret  that  we  are  not  able  to  give  a  more  complete  account  of 
the  early  post  routes  through  the  town  and  of  the  post  riders,  and  also 
to  tell  something  of  the  stage  drivers  and  their  coaches,  the  arrival  and 
departure  of  which  was  such  an  event  in  our  little  community. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


GROWTH  AND  DECLINE  OF  POPULATION 

The  population  of  Norwich  has  been  steadily  declining  for  more  than 
seventy  years,  having  reached  its  maximum  in  1830,  when  it  num- 
bered 2,316  souls.  By  the  census  of  1900  it  was  1,303,  a  loss  of  over 
one  thousand  since  1830.  The  end  of  the  present  decade  will  doubt- 
less show  a  further  shrinkage  in  the  number  of  inhabitants.  The 
following  table  records  the  population  of  Norwich  by  successive  enu- 
merations : 

1771  (New  York  census,  forty  families)  206 

1779*  (120  families,  estimated)  600 

1791  (U.  S.  census)  1,158     1850   (U.  S.  census)  1,978 

1800 


1810 
1820 
1830 
1840 


1,158 

1850 

(U. 

S.  census) 

1,486 

1860 

1,812 

1870 

1,985 

1880 

2,316 

1890 

2,218 

1900 

1,759 
1,639 
1,471 
1,304 
1,303 


Where  this  decline  in  population  is  to  end  it  would  be  useless  to 
speculate.  It  is  a  phenomenon  that  arrests  the  attention  of  the  most 
casual  observer  all  through  the  countrv  districts  of  New  England.  It 
is,  perhaps,  nowhere  more  noticeable  than  in  some  of  the  purely  agri- 
cultural towns  of  Windham  and  Windsor  counties.  In  illustration  of 
this  constant  tendency  to  depopulation  of  the  farming  towns,  we  have 
compiled  from  the  several  censuses  (1790-1880)  the  following  tabie, 
showino'  the  growth  and  decline  of  population  in  ten  representative 
towns  in  this  section  of  the  state : — 

*Taken  by  a  political  committee. 


feARLY    POPULAtlON   OF   TOWNS 


129 


1790 

1800 

1810 

1820 

1830 

1840 

1850 

i860 

1870 

1880 

Barnard 

673 

1,236 

1,648 

1,691 

1,881 

1,774 

1,647 

1,487 

1,208 

1,191 

Strafford 

845 

1,642 

1,805 

1,921 

1,935 

1,761 

1-540 

1,506 

1,290 

1,181 

Hartland 

1,652 

1,960 

2,352 

2,553 

2,503 

2,341 

2,063 

1,748 

1,710 

1,604 

Norwich 

1,158 

1,486 

1,812 

',9^5 

2,3'G 

2,218 

1,978 

i,759 

1,639 

1,471 

Pomfret 

710 

1,106 

1,433 

1,^35 

1,867 

1,774 

1,546 

1,376 

1,251 

1,139 

Reading 

747 

1,120 

'<5^^5 

[,603 

1,409 

1,363 

i,i7r 

','59 

1,012 

953 

Weathersfield 

1,140 

1,924 

2,115 

2,301 

2,213 

2,002 

1,85. 

1,7^^5 

',557 

1,354 

Westminster 

r,6oi 

1,942 

1,925 

',974 

1,737 

1,546 

1,721 

1,300 

i,23« 

1,377 

Dummerston 

1,501 

1,692 

1,704 

1,058 

1,592 

1,263 

1,645 

1,021 

916 

816 

Guilford 

2,432  2,256 

1,872 

[,862 

1,760 

1,525 

1,3^9 

1,291 

1,277 

1,096 

16,364 


12,182 


It  appears  from  these  footings  that  the  above  named  towns  in  1880 
contained  about  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  number  of  people  they 
did  eighty  years  earlier  (in  1800)  and  Icvss  than  sixty  per  cent  of  liie 
population  the  same  towns  had  at  the  time  of  greatest  population,  two 
or  three  decades  later  (1820-1830). 

A  thoughtful  man  might  find  a  sort  of  melancholy  interest  in  a  I'ide 
through  one  of  these  depleted  townships  and  a  census  of  its  deserted 
homesteads  and  its  scores  of  abandoned  farms.  He  would  linger  for  a 
moment  around  the  old  cellar  holes  where  a  few  scrubby  lilacs  and 
stunted  rose  bushes  still  survive  and  bloom  in  their  season  and  where 
perchance  an  old  chimney  still  stands  intact  in  naked  ghastliness, 
with  the  hearthstone  and  doorstone  still  in  place,  around  which  chil- 
dren played  and  the  annual  family  gathering  at  Thanksgiving  was 
assembled  half  a  century  ago.  Not  infrequently  some  emigrant  to  the 
West  or  elsewhere  returns  in  his  old  age  to  Vermont,  to  revisit  the  home 
of  his  childhood  and  the  scenes  of  early  life  as  he  recalls  them  fifty 
years  back,  to  look  upon  such  a  picture.  Such  a  person — if  he  has  a 
touch  of  sentiment  in  him — will  seek  out  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  the 
locality,  and  then  the  two  will  quietly  sit  down  together,  and  sadly 

"  talk  of  the  old  familiar  faces, 
How  some  they  have  died   and  some  they  have  left  us ; 
*    *    *    *     all  are  departed  — 
All,  all  are  gone,  the  old  familiar  faces." 

At  the  first  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  of  eastern  Vermont,  as 
m.ade  by  the  authority  of  New  York  in  1771,  Norwich  was  found  to  be 
the  most  populous  of  all  the  towns  of  Windsor  County,  having  forty 


130  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

families  and  206  inhabitants.^'  AVindsor  followed  with  203,  and  Hart- 
ford was  third  with  190.  The  aggregate  population  of  the  county  (ten 
towns  reported)  was  then  but  1,205,  mostly  confined  to  the  first  and 
second  tiers  of  towns  west  of  the  Connecticut  river.  Twenty  years 
later,  in  1791,  Hartland  led  all  the  towns  of  the  county  with  1,652  in- 
habitants, Woodstock  and  Windsor  coming  next  with  1,605  and  1,5-12 
respectively.  Exceptional  causes  made  the  little  town  of  Guilford 
(now  numbering  scarcely  more  than  one  thousand  inhabitants),  till 
after  the  year  1800,  the  most  populous  town  in  the  state.  In  Norwich, 
the  great  falling  off  in  the  size  of  families  in  recent  years  is  seen  in 
the  fact,  that  in  the  year  1800,  the  number  of  children  of  school  age  was 
604,  out  of  a  total  population  of  1,486,  while  in  1880  with  a  nearly 
equal  population  (1,471)  it  was  but  390.* 

In  the  removal  of  large  numbers  of  the  native-born  inhabitants  by 
emigration,  we  must  find  the  principal  cause  of  the  decline  of  our  rural 
population.  Pre-eminently  is  this  true  of  Norwich.  The  outflow  of 
people  began  very  early,  and  now  for  more  than  a  century  there  has 
been  one  unbroken,  living  stream  of  emigration  pouring  over  our  bor- 
ders. Several  families  that  had  first  located  here  became,  before  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Royalton,  Tun- 
bridge,  and  Randolph.  Some  of  the  captives  taken  at  the  burning  of 
Royalton  in  1780,  among  them  Mr.  Elias  Curtis,  had  previously  been 
residents  in  Norwich.  The  families  of  Seaver,  Hutchinson,  Parkhurst, 
Cushman,  and  Morgan,  whose  names  often  appear  on  the  early  records 
of  the  towns  just  mentioned,  were  either  derived  from  or  closely 
connected  with  Norwich  families  of  the  same  name.  The  original  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  of  Randolph  mostly  belonged  in  Hanover  and 
Norwich,  and  their  meetings  were  held  here  for  several  years.  Abel 
Curtis  was  clerk  for  the  Randolph  proprietors  in  1778.  Other  Nor- 
wich proprietors  were  John  Slafter,  Elisha  Burton,  Simeon  Curtis,  and 
William  Lewis.     In  the  year  1793,  Captain  Aaron  Storrs,  also  a  pro- 

*The  New  York  Schedules  show  the  following  classification  of  the  townspeople  by  age 
and  sex  at  this  census  :  — 

Heads  of  families  (males)                           401  Females  over  sixteen  48 

Males  above  sixteen  and  under  sixty         66  Females  under  sixteen  39 

Males  under  sixteen                                       53  — 

Total  females  87 

Total  males                                             119  Over  sixteen  (both  sexes)  114 

Unmarried  males  over  sixteen                    26  Under  sixteen  (both  sexes)  92 
Unmarried  females  over  sixteen                   8 


MIGRATION    FROM    NORWICH  I3I 

prietor,  sold  his  homestead  near  the  west  end  of  the  bridge  between 
Norwich  and  Hanover,  to  Doctor  Joseph  Lewis,  to  lead  a  colony  of 
settlers  to  Kandolph.  Mr.  A.  A.  Storrs,  at  the  time  of  present  writing 
representative-elect  to  the  legislature  from  that  town,  is  a  grandson  of 
Captain  Aaron  Storrs.*  A  little  later  the  towns  of  Brookfield, 
Orange,  Vershire,  and  Washington,  in  Orange  County,  received 
important  accessions  to  their  infant  settlements  from  Norwich. 
The  town  of  Washington  was  chartered  to  IMajor  Elisha  Burton  of 
Norwich  and  others,  by  the  legislature  of  Vermont,  August  8,  1781  — 
Jacob  Burton  was  the  first  clerk  of  that  town.  Prominent  citizens  of 
Norwich  were  also  grantees  of  Orange  and  Vershire,  both  chartered 
the  same  year,  and  interested  themselves  actively  in  promoting  their 
settlement. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  there  was  a  large  mi- 
gration from  Norwich  into  the  then  newly  organized  counties  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  state.  Several  young  men  of  marked  alnlity  at 
that  time  left  their  native  town  to  become  prominent  and  honored 
citizens  of  the  newer  townships  of  Washington,  Orleans,  and  Essex 
counties.  Sylvanus  and  Daniel  Baldwin,  while  quite  young  men, 
went  to  Montpelier  then  just  being  established  as  the  permanent  capi- 
tal of  Vermont.  There  the  former  built  the  first  state  house,  and  in 
1810  the  first  cotton  factorj^  in  this  part  of  the  country,  while  the  latter 
became  a  leading  merchant,  and  some  time  later  founded  the  Vermont 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co. — was  for  many  years  its  president,  and  the 
influential  promoter  of  many  other  public  enterprises,  Avherein  he  was 
ably  seconded  by  Joseph  Howes,  another  Norwich  boy  who  followed 
the  Baldwins  to  ^lontpelier  in  1808.  In  1804  Dan  Carpenter,  having 
studied  law  with  Ebenezar  Brown,  Esq.,  and  been  admitted  to  the 
Windsor  Countv  bar,  established  himself  in  the  new  town  of  W^ater- 
bury,  where  he  at  once  became  a  leading  citizen  and  spent  a  long  and 
useful  life,  filling  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  town  and 
county.  His  brother,  Luther  Carpenter,  had  settled  three  or  four  years 
earlier  in  the  town  of  Orange,  with  whose  public  affairs  and  interests 
he  was  closely  identified  for  nearly  fifty  years,  dying  in  1861  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three,  having  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature  four- 

*  About  the  year  1789,  Captain  Asa  Story  and  Christopher  Huntington  emigrated  to 
Randolph  from  Norwich  with  their  families. 


13^  History  of  norwich 

teen  ^^ars,  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  thirty-five  years,  as  member 
of  constitutional  conventions,  council  of  censors,  and  holding  other 
important  trusts, — in  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  which  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Carlos  Carpenter,  now  a  resident  of  Barre,  at  the  ripe  age 
of  eighty.  Besides  the  offices  already  mentioned,  each  of  the  above 
named  gentlemen,  with  the  single  exception  of  Sylvanus  Baldwin,  held 
for  several  years  the  position  of  judge  of  the  county  court,  and  each 
of  them,  with  the  same  exception,  took  for  himself  a  Avife  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  old  home,  when  ready  to  start  out  in  life  for  himself. 
Luther  Carpenter  married  Sarah  Waterman  of  Norwich  in  1803 ; 
Dan  Carpenter  married  Betsey,  daughter  of  Elisha  Partridge,  in  1805 ; 
young  Howes  married  Patty,  daughter  of  Abel  Wilder,  in  1808 ;  and 
Daniel  Baldwin  married  Emily  Wheelock,  a  grand-daughter  of  the  first 
president  of  Dartmouth  College. 

In  1801,  William  Baxter,  son  of  Elihu  Baxter  of  Norwich,  and  law 
student  from  the  office  of  Honorable  Daniel  Buck,  settled  in  the  town 
of  Brownington,  Orleans  county.  Beginning  married  life  the  same 
yeai',  with  Lydia  Ashley,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Daniel  Buck,  and  with 
scarcely  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  he  soon  became  a  leading  lawyer  and 
one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  that  section  of  the  state.  He  secured  the 
location  of  the  Orleans  County  Grammar  School  at  Brownington,  and 
erected  for  it  a  new  academy  building  at  his  own  expense  in  1824. 
Mr.  Baxter  died  in  1826,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine,  leaving  to  his  son, 
Honorable  Portus  Baxter  of  Derby,  a  munificent  estate,  and  the  better 
inheritance  of  a  high  reputation  for  integrity,  business  capacity,  and 
public  spirit,  which  never  suffered  in  the  keeping  of  the  son. 

Two  years  after  the  settlement  of  Wm.  Baxter  at  Brownington,  Capt. 
Benjamin  Burton,  after  a  residence  of  about  twenty  years  in  Norwich, 
removed  with  a  large  family  of  grown-up  children  to  the  town  of  Iras- 
burg  in  the  same  county.  With  him  went  his  brother,  Jacob  Burton, 
and  ({uite  a  colony  of  Norwich  families,  who  became  pioneer  settlers 
in  the  western  part  of  Irasburg,  which  soon  after  took  the  name  of 
Burton  Hill,  which  it  still  keeps.  One  of  the  young  men  of  this  colony 
was  Peter  Thatcher,  Jr.,  a  great  wit  and  comical  genius,  but  more  re- 
markable for  his  height,  which  was  six  feet,  four  inches.  Captain 
Burton  was  a  much  respected  citizen  of  his  adopted  town,  where  he 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two,  and  his  wife  to  the  age  of 


I 

MIGRATIONS    FROM    NORWICH  1 33 

ninety-four  years.  Mrs.  Burton's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Gris- 
wold  and  her  home  was  in  Stonington,  Conn.  Maj.  Oliver  Griswold 
Burton  and  Col.  Henry  S.  Burton,  both  of  the  United  States  Army, 
were  son  and  grandson  respectively  of  these  parents. 

Four  years  before  Captain  Burton  went  to  Irasburg,  in  1799,  Dea. 
David  Hibbard,  who  had  come  to  Norwich  from  Coventry,  Conn.,  to 
settle  in  1782  or  '83,  removed  to  Concord  in  Essex  countv,  with  a 
large  family  of  boys  and  girls.  The  first  work  of  Deacon  Hibbard 
was  to  establish  a  church  at  Concord,  and  to  this  church  he  ministered 
rec'ularlv,  though  a  lavman,  until  the  settlement  over  it  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Goddard  in  1809.  He  was  town  clerk  six  years,  and  four  years  a 
member  of  the  legislature  from  Concord.  His  son,  David  Hibbard, 
Jr.,  a  self-made  man  and  a  law3^er  practiced  his  profession  in  Concord 
for  thirty  years,  holding  the  offices  of  judge  of  the  county  court,  state's 
attorney,  high  sheriff,  and  town  representative,  and  dying  in  1852. 
Another  son.  Dyer  Hibbard,  was  also  judge  and  sheriff  of  the  comity, 
as  well  as  representative  four  years.  David  Hibbard,  3rd,  eldest  son 
of  David,  Jr.,  represented  Concord  in  the  legislatures  of  1838,  '39,  '40, 
'43,  '44,  '58,  and  '59,  and  was  member  of  the  council  of  censors  in 
1856.  Asa  Hibbard,  another  descendant,  was  assist,  judge  in  1857  and 
'58.  The  second  son  of  David  Hibbard,  Jr.,  was  Hon.  Harry  Hibbard 
of  Bath,  N.  H.,  late  a  leading  lawyer  of  the  New  Hampshire  Bar,  pre- 
siding officer  of  both  branches  of  the  state  legislature,  and  six  years 
(1849-1855)  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  third  district  of  New 
Hampshire.  Harry  Hibbard  was  born  at  Concord,  Vt.,  June  1,  1816, 
and  died  at  Bath,  N.  H.,  in  1872.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College 
in  the  class  of  1835. 

Hon.  Daniel  Buck  left  Norwich  in  1809,  removing  to  Chelsea,  Avhere 
he  died  in  1816.  At  the  close  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  his  son, 
Daniel  Azro  Ashley  Buck,  resigned  his  commission  in  the  regular 
army  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Chelsea.  Between  1816 
and  1836,  he  represented  that  town  fourteen  years  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture, during  six  of  which  he  served  as  Speaker  of  the  House.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  Congress  four  years  previous  to  1830. 

In  the  Vermont  legislature  of  1820  and  the  years  immediately  suc- 
ceeding", there  was  gathered  quite  a  brilliant  galaxy  of  talent  native 
born  in  Norwich.     At  the  opening  of  the  session  of  that  year,  Lieut. 


134  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

Gov.  Paul  Brigham,  full  of  years  and  honors,  finally  retired  from  that 
office  and  from  the  presidency  of  the  Council  which  he  had  held  for 
twenty-two  years.  In  the  Speaker's  chair  of  the  assembly  sat  the 
younger  Buck,  where  his  honored  father  had  preceded  him  a  generation 
earlier,  executing  the  duties  of  the  place  with  a  promptness,  ease  and 
dignity  which  has  perhaps  never  been  excelled.  Before  him  in  their 
respective  seats  sat  the  two  Carpenters,  Luther  of  Orange  and  Dan  of 
Waterbury,  both  veteran  legislators,  whose  united  years  of  service  in 
that  body  covered  a  quarter  of  a  century.  There  also  was  the  sagacious 
Baxter  from  Brownington  and  one  of  the  public-spirited  and  versatile 
Hibbards  from  Concord ;  while  to  represent  the  mother  town  was  the 
erratic  but  gifted  and  scholarly  Aaron  Loveland.  These  men  had  all 
grown  up  as  boys  and  playmates  together  in  old  Norwich  twenty-five 
years  before.  They  were  a  representation  of  which  any  town  might 
justly  be  proud,  and  which  few  if  any  towns  in  the  State  have  been 
able  to  match,  I  fancy,  before  or  since.  Any  one  of  them,  if  called 
temporarily  to  the  Speaker's  chair,  could  have  acquitted  himself  with 
credit,  and  the  judiciary  committee  of  the  House  might  almost  have 
been  made  up  worthily  from  the  sons  of  Norwich  alone. 

While  the  town  was  thus  giving  of  its  best  blood  to  fill  up  the  vacant 
places  of  our  own  State,  the  great  tide  of  emigration  to  the  West  had 
already  set  in,  which  has  known  no  ebb  to  this  day.  In  the  first  year 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Col.  Jasper  Murdock,  having  married  ]\Iar- 
tha,  daughter  of  Rev.  Lyman  Potter,  persuaded  his  father-in-law  to 
remove  with  him  to  Ohio,  then  the  Northwest  Territory,  where  he 
was  interested  in  extensive  land  speculations.  Two  sons  of  Mr.  Potter, 
both  liberally  educated  at  Dartmouth  College  during  the  period  of 
their  father's  ministry  in  town,  accompanied  the  family  in  their  long 
and  tiresome  journey  to  the  Western  Reserve,  at  that  time  the  very  out- 
post of  settlement  and  civilization.  Of  these  sons,  one  became  a  farmer 
in  Trumbull  county,  the  other  studied  law  and  settled  in  New  Lisbon, 
the  county  seat  of  Columbiana  county.  Both  afterwards  served  in 
the  legislature  of  the  new  state  of  Ohio.  Colonel  IMurdock  died  of 
malarial  fever  at  Steubenville  in  1803,  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  He 
was  a  man  of  superior  natural  abilities  that  qualified  him  for  either 
business  or  intellectual  pursuits.  He  had  popular  manners,  a  hand- 
some face  and  figure,  an  excellent  education,  with  a  spirit  of  enterprise 


MIGRA'J  :v  NS    FROM    NORWICH 


135 


and  an  ambition  which,  in  the  wider  field  of  action  upon  which  he  had 
just  entered,  would  have  carried  him,  if  his  life  had  been  spared,  into 
high  public  stations  in  his  adopted  state,  and  perhaps  into  the  national 
Congress. 

Representatives  of  other  Norwich  families  sought  new  homes  in  the 
far  West  about  this  time.  Alexander  Bush,  son  of  Capt.  Timothy  Bush 
and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  in  1800,  was,  tw^o  years  later,  as  far 
west  as  Franklintown,  now  Columbus,  in  central  Ohio,  where  he  died 
the  same  year.  But  previous  to  about  the  year  1820,  the  bulk  of  emi- 
gration from  Norwich  w^ent  to  central,  northern,  and  western  New 
York,  and  occasionally  to  Pennsylvania  and  to  Maine.  As  early  as 
1812,  however,  Thomas  and  Joseph  Emerson  had  a  flourishing  mer- 
cantile business  at  Detroit,  which  was  maintained  for  a  considerable 
time. 

The  evidences  of  depopulation  and  disappearance  of  houses  in  Nor- 
Avich  seems  to  be  especially  marked  at  Beaver  Meadow,  and  along  the 
"turnpike,"  which  thoroughfare  can  lay  claim  to  less  than  one-half  the 
dw^ellings  that  were  there  sixty  years  ago  (so  says  one  who  resided 
there  at  that  time),  and  the  percentage  of  loss  in  population  is  prob- 
ably greater  than  the  percentage  of  loss  of  houses. 

Table  showing  the  comparative  growth  in  population  and  wealth  of 
Norwich  and  two  adjacent  tow-ns  on  Connecticut  River  since  settle- 
ment : 

I.     Population  (1771 — 1880) 


Thetford 

NORWICHI 

Hartford^^ 


1771 


203 

igo 


1791 


862 

I  158 

988 


1800  1 8 10 


[,478  1,785 
1,486  1,812 
(,494  i,88[ 


1820 


1,915 

',985 
2,010 


1830 


2,113 
2,316 

2,044 


18401  1850!  i860 


2,065 
2,218 
2,194 


2,Ol6|T,6lI 

1,978  1,759 


1870 


',613 
1,639 


!,i59!2,396  2,48o 


1880 


1,529 
1,471 
2,954 


.■), 


000 


2.     Grand  List  (1830— 1886) 


Thetford 

NORWICH 

Hartford 


1830 


513,986 
15,933 
17,435 


1840 


$14,681 
18,590 
20,700 


1850 


$  5,420 
5,362 
7,156 


i860 


$   6,344 

5,579 
8,101 


1870 


$ 


5'573 

5,075 
9,240 


1880I   1886 


$   4,457^  6,098 

4,432   7,286 

10.956I  20,847 


;^i  3,384 


136 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


It  is  interesting  to  note  from  the  above  figures,  that  these  three 
towns,  Norwich,  Thetford,  and  Hartford,  so  similar  in  their  situation, 
area,  and  natural  resources,  kept  nearly  abreast  of  each  other  for  three 
quarters  of  a  century,  in  material  development  and  prosperity.  Even 
the  superior  water-power  of  Hartford  did  not  avail,  until  after  the 
advent  of  railroads,  to  carry  that  town  very  considerably  in  advance  of 
her  sister  townships.  Since  that  period,  however,  the  growth  of  Hart- 
ford has  been  steady  and  rapid  until  its  population  lacks  less  than  fifty 
of  being  greater  than  that  of  the  other  towns  combined,  Avhile  the  ap- 
praisal of  its  property  stands  to  the  united  value  of  both  the  others  in 
the  ratio  of  3  to  2. 

Norwich  Surnames  of  Families 
(Numerous  in  town  before  the  year  1800  and  since  become  extinct) 


Ashley 

Bush 

Hovey 

Silver 

Baldwin 

Carpenter 

Howes 

Slafter 

Baker 

Carrier 

Hunt 

Smallev 

Ball 

Coit 

Huntington 

Smith  "(?) 

Barrett 

Crary 

Jaquith 

Stoddard 

Baxter 

Curtis 

Miner 

Story 

Benton 

Emerson 

Mor^^an 

Thatcher 

Bissell 

Fellows 

Morse 

Vinson 

Bly 

Freeman 

Mosely 

West 

Branch 

Gates 

iMurdock 

White 

Braughton 

Geer 

Newton 

Wilder 

Br  ay  man 

Grow 

Olcott 

Woodward 

Brewster 

Gould 

Percival 

Wright 

Brownson 

Hammond 

Pike 

Yeomans, 

Buck 

Hay  ward 

Potter 

Tolland,  Ct 

Burnap 

Hedges 

Richards 

Burt 

Hibbard 

Roberts 

Burwash 

Hopson 

Seaver 

(Surnames 

of  families  of  the 

same  period  still  surviving  in  town) 

Armstrong 

Cook 

Lord 

Rogers 

Bartlett 

Cushman 

Loveland 

Sawyer 

Boardman 

Hatch 

Lyman 

Spear 

Brigham 

Hazen 

jMessenger 

Stimson 

Brown 

Hutchinson 

Nye 

Turner 

Burton 

Johnson 

Partridge 

Waterman 

Cloud 

Lewis 

Pattrell 

CHAPTER  XVII 


LOCAL  NAMES 

Of  the  little  settlements  in  the  township  of  Norwich  which  seem  to  be 
existino"  in  the  sunset  of  their  former  olorv,  mav  be  mentioned  Beaver 
Meadow,  or  West  Norwich.  This  place  presents  a  notable  instance  of 
that  decline  in  population  and  decay  of  business  interests  in  a  rural 
community,  of  which  Vermont  affords  many  examples  since  the  advent 
of  railroads  and  the  fever  of  western  emigration  set  in. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  population,  wealth,  and  enterprise  have 
been  clriftino;  away  from  that  section  of  the  town.  Probably  the  set- 
tlement reached  the  height  of  its  prosperity  previous  to  1840.  During 
the  decade  that  preceded  this  date  two  churches  were  built  here,  a 
Baptist  church  in  1835,  and  Methodist  church  about  two  years  later. 
Regular  meetings  were  held,  and  full  congregations  gathered  from  the 
immediate  neighborhood.  Large  families  of  children  filled  the  schools, 
to  the  number  of  sixty  pupils  of  a  winter,  sometimes.  The  village  had 
for  many  years  its  well-stocked  country  store,  and  a  variety  of  me- 
chanics' shops.  Intelligent  and  thrifty  farmers  cultivated  the  produc- 
tive farms. 

Before  1850  the  exodus  commenced.  The  Baptist  society  had  its 
last  settled  minister  in  1869,  and  a  few  years  later,  the  church  having 
become  nearly  extinct,  the  meeting  house  was  taken  down,  and  the 
lumber  used  to  build  a  parsonage  for  the  Baptist  church  in  Sharon 
village.  Four  years  earlier  the  Methodists  had  their  last  regular  ap- 
pointment from  the  Conference,  though  regular  preachers  were  had 
some  portion  of  the  time  much  later.  ]\Iany  farms  tilled  forty  years 
ago  are  wholly  abandoned  as  homesteads,  and  others  are  in  process  of 
abandonment. 

It  is  impossible  to  repress  a  feeling  of  sadness  when  one  views  these 
desolate  and  dismantled  homes,  once  the  scene  of  active  and  prosperous 


138  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

life.  What  is  to  be  the  future  of  these  desolate  places  ?  Will  the  tide 
of  population  sometime  flow  back  and  fill  these  wastes,  repeople  these 
hillsides,  or  will  the  forests  grow  up  over  the  hearthstones  placed  by  the 
forefathers  of  an  earlier  generation? 

Pompanoosuc,  or,  in  full,  Ompompanoosuc,  is  situated  about  six 
miles  northeasterly  from  Norwich  village.  It  has  a  post  office  and  a 
creamery,  and  within  its  limits  is  the  little  hamlet  of  Pattersonviile, 
where  L.  S.  Patterson  has  a  wood  working  establishment,  which  is 
quite  an  industry — turning  out  a  large  product  annually.  Mr.  Pat- 
terson also  keeps  a  general  country  store.  Some  of  the  best  farms  in 
town  are  within  this  territory,  and  are  managed  by  thrifty  and  enter- 
prising proprietors. 

There  are  indications  that  previous  to  the  settlement  of  the  country 
the  mouth  of  Ompompanoosuc  River  had  been  a  frequent  resort  of 
Indians  (probably  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe)  for  the  purpose  of  fishing 
— doubtless  to  spear  salmon  at  night  by  torchlight,  on  the  sand  bar 
there, — a  practice  they  were  very  expert  in,  and  which  was  perpet- 
uated bv  the  white  settlers  of  the  vicinitv,  at  the  same  localitv,  as 
long  as  salmon  continued  to  ascend  the  Connecticut  River.  Indian 
relics  are  still  occasionally  found  in  the  neighborhood.  When  the 
Passu^mpsic  railroad  was  being  built  through  town,  several  interesting 
"finds,"  we  are  informed,  including  Indian  arrow  heads,  ornaments, 
etc.,  were  dug  up  by  the  removal  of  the  surface  soil  near  the  railroad 
station  at  Pompanoosuc. 

New  Boston,  a  small  area  of  territory  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Norwich,  received  its  name  as  early  as  1784 — so  used  in  a  road  survey 
of  that  date. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


INDUSTRIES 


Although  the  products  of  the  iudustries  iu  Norwich  have  not  been 
of  great  magnitude  they  have  been  quite  varied  in  character.  Such 
information  in  regard  to  these  callings  as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain 
we  will  present  to  our  readers,  though  not  in  strict  chronological 
order. 

Among  the  earliest  establishments  coming  under  this  head  was  a 
grist  mill  established  as  early  as  1770,  by  Hatch  and  Babcock  on  Blood 
Brook,  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  grist  mill  now  operated  by  J.  E. 
Willard,  a  short  distance  up  the  stream  from  where  it  empties  into  the 
Connecticut  River.  As  has  been  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  it  was 
voted  at  a  proprietors'  meeting  held  September  17,  1770,  to  give  to 
Joseph  Hatch  and  Oliver  Babcock  the  '^  tenth  river  lot  on  condition 
they  execute  a  deed  *  *  *  *  for  upholding  a  grist  mill  where 
said  oristmill  now  stands. ' ' 

Since  the  ownership  by  Hatch  and  Babcock  this  property  has  been  in 
the  possession  among  others  of  Aaron  Storrs,  who  sold  it  in  1793  to  Doc- 
tor Joseph  Lewis ;  Horace  Esterbi'ook,  who  sold  it  to  J.  J.  Morse ;  the 
-latter  to  G.  W.  Kibling;  Kibling  to  Crandall  and  Burbank:  they  to 
Doctor  Rand  of  Hartford,  Vt.,  and  from  the  latter 's  estate,  J.  E.  Wil- 
lard, the  present  proprietor,  bought  it.  During  ]\Ir.  Kibling 's  owner- 
ship of  the  property  he  had  a  department  for  making  doors,  window 
sashes,  etc.,  in  addition  to  a  grist  mill. 

In  1766,  Jacob  Burton  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  north  bank  of  BJood 
Brook,  a  little  further  down  the  stream  than  ^Messenger  and  Hazen's 
late  tannerv  (what  is  now  R.  E.  Cook's  mill).  The  o'reat  freshet  of 
September,  1869,  carried  the  mill  away.  At  that  time  it  was  owned 
by  George  Burton,  a  great  grandson  of  the  original  proprietor^  and 


140  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

up  to  the  time  of  his  decease  the  property  had  been  continuously  in 
possession  of  that  family. 

About  1770,  Elisha  Burton  built  a  grist  mill  along  Blood  Brook — a 
little  distance  west  of  Norwich  village.  The  mill  is  now  standing  on 
its  original  site,  and  had  been  occupied  by  Joseph  Amsden,  Levi  Rich- 
ards, and,  perhaps,  others,  previous  to  its  ownership  by  the  late  Allen 
W.  Knapp,  who  used  it  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally 
built. 

About  the  time  the  above  mentioned  mill  was  built,  a  saw  mill  and 
a  grist  mill  are  supposed  to  have  been  erected  along  Ompompanoosuc 
River,  in  the  territory  now  known  as  " Patterson ville "  (formerly 
"Gleason's  Flats").  We  are  informed  that  the  present  dam  at  Pat- 
terson 's  mill  occupies  the  site  of  the  one  built  to  operate  the  first  mills. 
Mention  of  the  grant  of  land  for  "upbuilding"  these  mills  may  be 
found  in  another  chapter  in  this  book. 

Johnson  Saiford  and  Jacob  Burton  had  a  fulling  and  cloth  dressing 
mill  along  Blood  Brook,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  village,  and 
operated  it  until  1836,  when  they  sold  the  property  to  Sylvester  Morris, 
who  converted  it  into  a  tannery.  In  1853  Morris  sold  the  property 
to  Asa  Blanchard,  and  he  to  AVardsworth  and  Fetch  in  1856.  Wards- 
worth  bought  out  Fetch  and  sold  the  property  to  Messenger  and  Hazen 
in  1869,  from  whom  it  passed  to  R.  E.  Cook,  the  present  owner,  who 
changed  it  into  a  grist  mill. 

Ira  Baxter,  son  of  Elihu  Baxter,  had  a  tannery  north  of  Norwich 
village  and  a  short  distance  south  of  his  dwelling  house,  on  property 
now  owned  by  Messenger  and  Hazen.  The  tannery  stood  on  land, 
now  overgrown  with  alders,  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  highway  and  a 
short  distance  south  of  the  road  leading  to  the  site  of  the  old  ' '  Center ' ' 
meeting  house. 

About  1836,  Charles  P.  Hatch  had  a  tannery  on  the  north  bank  of 
Blood  Brook,  a  little  below  Knapp 's  mill.  Azro  Johnson  succeeded 
Hatch  and  made  winnowing  mills  there.  Deacon  Sylvester  Morris  pur- 
chased the  building  and  fixtures,  some  of  which  he  removed  to  his  tan- 
nery lower  down  the  brook. 

A  number  of  years  later,  Charles  M.  Baxter  made  and  repaired 
furniture  in  a  shop  that  stood  near  the  south  bank  of  Blood  Brook  and 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  highway  from  the  old  Morris  tannery,  where 


< 


X     - 

•y        -T. 


JEARLY    INDUSTRIES  I4I 

he  was  in  business  for  some  years,  until  his  shop  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Afterwards,  Mr.  Baxter  removed  to  Woodstock,  Vt. ;  thence  to  Lebanon, 
N.  H.,  where  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  manufactures  for  several 
years  previous  to  going  to  Redlands,  Cal.,  his  present  residence,  where 
he  is  interested  in  orange  culture.  Mr.  Baxter  was  with  us  "Old 
Home  Day,"  August  16,  1901,  and  gave  material  aid  towards  the  ob- 
servance of  that  occasion. 

About  1830,  Pierce  Burton  manufactured  potash  where  Nelson 
Sayers  lives — just  west  of  the  village  cemetery — and  in  1817,  Water- 
man Ensworth,  father  of  the  present  Charles  E.  Ensworth  had  a  like 
business  where  Mrs.  Mary  Burton's  barn  stands.  The  little  stream 
that  flows  along  the  northerly  base  of  the  cemetery  and  on  by  Sayers' 
garden  was  known  as  ' '  Potash  Brook. ' '  For  these  facts  and  for  much 
other  aid  in  compiling  this  volume,  we  are  indebted  to  our  fellow 
townsman,  C.  E.  Ensworth,  Esq.,  our  walking  encyclopedia. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  past  century  Deacon  Eleazer  T.  Raymond 
made  trunks  and  harnesses  in  a  shop  that  stood  in  what  is  now  Mrs. 
Ruby  W.  Lewis'  garden,  where,  so  we  have  been  told,  he  made  the 
leather  hats  worn  bv  the  cadets  attending  the  military  school  here  in 
its  early  years.  The  shop  was  subsequently  removed  to  its  present  site, 
where  it  is  the  house  of  jMr.  A.  B.  Nye  on  Church  street. 

Deacon  Raymond  removed  to  Fremont,  Ohio,  where  he  died. 

Erastus  Leavitt  was  a  harness  maker,  and  his  shop  was  located 
near  where  F.  W.  Hawley's  woodshed  stands.  As  Leavitt  was  a  voter 
in  Norwich  in  1790,  it  may  be  fair  to  presume  that  he  pursued  his 
trade  here  at  that  early  date.  It  is  understood  that  he  went  to  South 
Carolina  and  died  there.  But  the  old  sign  that  announced  his  vocation 
here  in  Norwich  remained  in  town  and  showed  itself — saddled  and 
bridled — attached  to  the  front  of  a  building  in  our  village  during  the 
late  Civil  War.  It  is  feared  that  Leavitt  was  not  as  mindful  of  the 
conduct  becoming  a  church  member  and  a  moral  citizen  as  he  should 
have  been,  for  we  learn  from  early  church  records  that  he  was  re- 
ported to  the  church  for  discipline  because  of  "drunkenness  and  pro- 
f  anitv. ' ' 

In  1805,  Jacob  Burton,  then  the  first  postmaster  in  Norwich,  kept 
the  office  in  his  harness  shop  located  about  opposite  the  present  home 
of  Mrs.  William  E.  Lewis. 


142  HISTORY    OF    NOkWiCtt 

The  first  blacksmith  in  town  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  was 
Elishu  Emerson,  who  came  here  from  Westfield,  Mass.,  in  1792,  fol- 
lowed, three  years  later,  by  his  two  brothers,  Joseph  and  Thomas. 
.Mr.  Emerson  bnilt  a  brick  shop  in  what  is  now  the  north  dooryard  of 
Ed.  W.  Olds'  residence,  and  there  pnrsned  his  calling  for  many  years, 
making  axes  as  well  as  doing  ordinary  blacksmithing. 

]\Ir.  Emerson  was  succeeded  in  blacksmithing  by  Samuel  Currier, 
who  carried  on  the  business  for  several  years  in  the  shop  where  the 
former  had  worked.  In  1835,  James  S.  Currier  (also  a  blacksmith  and 
brother  of  Samuel)  moved  to  town  and  built  a  shop  just  north  of  and 
adjoining  his  brother's  shop.  After  the  latter  moved  onto  a  farm  a 
little  north  of  Norwich  village,  James  S.  took  his  brother's  shop,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  there  until  he  retired  from  business  manv  vears 
afterwards.  Several  years  later  the  old  Emerson  shop  Avas  taken 
down,  and  thus  disappeared  one  of  the  town's  early  landmarks. 

Joseph  Emerson  built  the  house  where  Henry  Lary  lives.  There  he 
manufactured  wool  hats  for  a  number  of  vears.  Subsequentlv  he  had 
a  shop  on  what  is  now  known  as  Elm  Street,  where  he  was  succeeded 
in  business  by  one  Cottle  George,  whom  we  have  already  mentioned. 
The  building  is  now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Emma  Hatch.  ]\Ir.  Emerson 
built  for  his  residence  the  house  that  is  now  the  home  of  Mrs.  Baxter 
B.  Newton. 

Among  the  early  painters  in  Norwich,  though  not  the  earliest,  prob- 
ably, were  Samuel  y^ye,  who  came  to  an  untimely  death  in  Canada 
in  1844,  while  visiting  there ;  Morris  L.  Nichols,  who  followed  this 
calling  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death  in  town,  in  1870,  aged 
seventv-five  vears:  and  David  Morrill  ("Uncle  David"  as  he  was 
("'amiliarly  called)  who  came  into  town  from  Stratford,  Vt.,  where  he 
had  previously  plied  his  trade.  Many  of  us  remember  how  entertain- 
ing it  was  to  visit  Uncle  David's  shop  and  view  some  of  the  products 
of  his  brush,  notably  the  band  wagon  with  its  prancing  steeds,  and 
load  of  musicians,  arrayed  in  gorgeous  uniforms;  and  to  listen  to  his 
dissertations  on  free -masonry. 

A  firm  believer  in  the  mystic  order,  Mr.  Morrill  governed  his  daily 
life  by  the  square  and  rule,  and  passed  to  his  reward  some  years  since, 
having  reached  a  ripe  old  age. 

There  mav  have  been  brick-masons  in  Norwich  at  an  earlier  date 


JEARLY    INDUSTRIES  143 

than  those  of  whom  we  have  any  record,  who  were :  Joseph  Cutting, 
Cyril  Pennock,  Samuel  Sproat  and  Luman  Boutwell. 

Cutting',  who  married  a  daughter  of  Reuben  Hatch,  moved  into  town 
in  1808,  or  earlier,  and  built  the  house,  on  the  Plain,  w^here  David 
Stewart  lives.  Later  he  removed  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Pennock  and 
Sproat  were  long-time  residents  in  Norwich,  and  worked  at  their 
trade  until  declining  years  forced  them  to  cease  work,  when  the  former 
removed  to  St.  Paul,  i\Iinn.,  where  he  died  several  years  since,  and 
the  latter  left  his  "turnpike''  home  to  be  with  a  daughter  with 
whom  he  died.     His  remains  were  brought  to  Norwich  for  burial. 

The  writer  has  been  told  that  Pennock  was  the  first  cadet  of  the  A. 
L.  S.  &  M.  Academy  to  sleep  in  the  Academy  building  and  the  first 
to  wear  the  uniform  of  that  institution. 

Sproat  and  Boutwell  built,  on  joint  account,  at  the  Plain,  the 
"Seven  nation  house,"  so  called,  that  stands  on  the  site  of  a  former 
dwelling  occupied  by  one  ^Marshall  Hodgeman  until  its  destruction 
by  fire,  at  which  time  the  following  incident  is  said  to  have  occurred : 

Judge  Aaron  Loveland  owned  a  frame  building  near  the  fire,  and 
evidently  fearing  greater  injury  to  his  property  from  the  fire  hooks 
that  the  local  firemen  were  usina'  in  tearins:  down  a  nearbv  structure 
than  from  the  flames,  directed  the  men  to  cease  using  those  "hellhooks" 
and  use  the  "squirt  gun"  (a  hand  fire-engine  that  constituted  a  part 
of  the  armament  of  the  fire  company) — language  truly  expressive — 
perhaps  judicial — surely  not  Chesterfieldian. 

That  St.  Crispin  has  had  many  disciples  in  Norwich  the  list  of  boot 
and  shoe  makers  abundantly  proves.  Reuben  Partridge,  son  of  Elisha 
Partridge,  was  the  first  of  the  craft,  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge, 
to  locate  in  town.  His  shop  was  in  a  building,  already  noted  in  this 
article,  in  one  part  of  which  Erastus  Leavitt  had  a  harness  shop.  As 
he  was  married  in  1791,  we  may  reasonably  suppose  that  he  was  in 
l)usiness  at  that  time.  Daniel  Russell  had  a  shop  very  near  where  the 
creamery  building  stands  at  the  north  end  of  the  village,  and  he  lived 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  C.  C. 
Sawver.  Levi  Blood,  James  Harrison,  Eber  N.  Clark,  Cvrus  Tracev, 
and  Abel  P.  Hatch  worked,  at  different  times,  in  a  shop  that  stood  until 
within  a  comparatively  few  years  about  on  a  line  with  F.  W.  Hawley's 
^\oodshed — perhaps  a  little  further  west.  At  another  time  Harrison  had 


t44  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

a  shop  in  a  small  building  on  his  own  premises,  which  were  those  now 
occupied  by  ]Miss  Ellen  Hutchinson,  on  North  Main  Street.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  this  shop  was  moved  to  the  south  side  of  what  is  now 
Church  Street,  and  became  the  home  of  Lydia  Haskell. 

Thomas  Brigham,  of  strongly  marked  physical  characteristics,  is  re- 
called by  many  persons  of  the  present  day.  He  followed  his  calling  of 
boot  and  shoe  making  in  the  second  story  front  of  what  is  now  Ed.  W. 
Olds'  residence.  He  was  proverbial  for  promising  many  more  pairs  of 
boots  to  be  completed  by  the  next  Saturday  night  than  it  was  possibl*^ 
for  the  most  industrious  craftsman  to  accomplish. 

George  Clark  worked  in  a  shop  that  stood  where  Egbert  Blaisdell's 
barn  is.  There  he  performed  his  six  days'  labor,  and  rested  on  the 
seventh  by  playing  the  bass  viol  in  the  choir  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  the  village. 

Later,  about  1856,  Abel  P.  Hatch  had  his  shop  where  Henry  Lary 
lives  (a  building  that  has  sheltered  more  mercantile  ventures,  work- 
shops and  postoffices  than  any  other  structure  in  town ) .  Subsequently, 
Hatch  built  a  shop  on  Mechanics  Street,  where  Hazen  Batchelder's 
house  stands,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  fire  destroyed  the 
building.  Another  shop  was  erected  on  that  spot,  and  there  Hatch 
worked  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  cease  labor.  Mr.  Hatch 
had  a  remarkably  retentive  memory  and  his  mind  was  well  stored  with 
events  in  the  town's  history,  and  to  him  many  people  went  for  in- 
formation on  various  matters. 

A  steam  sawmill  was  erected  by  George  A.  Ames  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Connecticut  river,  a  little  south  of  and  across  the  highway  from  the 
home  of  the  late  Deacon  Henry  Hutchinson.  Soon  after,  a  box-making 
department  was  attached  to  the  mill.  The  property  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  but  was  rebuilt  and  operated  as  a  sawmill  only.  F.  G.  Ames,  a 
son  of  George  A.,  is  the  present  proprietor  of  the  industry. 

In  1889,  S.  M.  Morrison  took  possession  of  the  Hatch  shop,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  of  shoe  and  harness  making  until  flames  again 
visited  that  spot.  In  1893,  Morrison  built  the  "Klondike  Building" 
on  Main  Street,  where  he  has  worked  at  his  trade  until  the  present 
time,  and  is  now  the  only  person,  actively  engaged,  of  the  many  who 
have  pounded  the  lapstone  in  our  village. 


£ARLY    INDUSTRIES  145 

In  1888,  the  "Norwich  Creamery"  was  established  at  the  north  end 
of  Norwich  village,  occupying-  a  building  previously  used  as  a  school- 
house.  It  was  operated  with  apparent  success  for  a  number  of  years. 
A  few  years  since  the  building  was  partially  destroyed  by  fire,  but  was 
rebuilt  and  the  business  continued  under  different  managements  until 
the  spring  of  1904,  when  the  property  was  sold  to  Hood  &  Co.,  who 
for  several  years  have  had  a  factory  of  a  like  character  near  the  rail- 
road and  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Norwich  and  Hanover  station. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


NORWICH  MERCHANTS 

Peter  Olcott  had  a  store  near  his  residence  at  the  Center,  in  the  time 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Abel  Curtis  was  for  a  time  associated 
with  him  in  this  business.  Stephen  Burton,  eldest  son  of  Elisha  Bur- 
ton and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1790,  was  probably  the 
first  to  open  trade  at  Norwich  Plain,  prior  to  the  year  1800.  Ichabod 
Marshall  of  Hanover,  also  a  Dartmouth  graduate  in  1790,  is  understood 
as  having  been  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  Norwich  (possibly 
in  partnership  with  Stephen  Burton)  for  several  years.  Both  these 
young  men  emigrated  to  the  West  early  in  the  century.  Burton  to  cen- 
tral New  York  Avhere  he  died  in  1812,  and  Marshall  to  Ohio  in  the 
year  1818.  George  Woodward  kept  store  before  1799  in  the  building 
now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Gardner  Davis  as  a  dwelling. 

Oliver  Hatch  was  in  trade  on  the  corner  where  F.  AV.  Hawley  is  in 
business.  In  1801  or  1802,  he  was  succeeded  by  William  Little,  who 
came  from  Strafford  and  bought  the  store  building  and  prosecuted 
business  there  till  about  1816,  part  of  the  time  in  company  with  Jona. 
Lovejoy  from  Boston.  They  dissolved  partnership  in  1809.  About  this 
time  a  store  was  kept  by  Charles  Hutchins  from  Concord,  N.  H.,  in  the 
building  that  in  later  years  became  the  residence  of  the  late  Jas.  S. 
Currier,  just  north  of  "Newton  Inn."  Little  and  Lovejoy  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Waterman  Ensworth  and  Rufus  Hatch,  Cyrus  Partridge,  not 
long  after,  becoming  a  member  in  place  of  Mr.  Hatch. 

Capt.  Ethen  Burnap  was  a  merchant  in  Norwich  from  about  1817 
to  1828  or  '29,  first  at  Union  Village  and  later  at  Norwich  Plain.  About 
this  time  Elias  Lyman,  Jr.,  came  in  possession  of  the  corner  store  at  the 


NORWICH    MERCHANTS  ^  147 

Plain,  where  he  did  an  extensive  trade  for  several  years,  covering  the 
period  (1824-1834)  pretty  nearly,  perhaps. 

Following  Elias  Lyman  was  George  Lyman,  with  whom  Mr.  Frank- 
lin L.  Olds  was  associated,  first  as  clerk  and  afterwards  as  partner,  the 
firm  finally  becoming  Lyman,  Olds  and  Burton  (Harvey  Burton). 
Contemporary  with  this  latter  firm  was  Baxter  B.  Newton  (1841-1845), 
his  place  of  business  being  in  the  building  where  Henry  Lary  now  lives. 
During  the  decade  immediately  preceding  1842,  William  Smith  Burton 
was  engaged  in  trade  in  the  building  now  the  residence  of  Edward  W. 
Olds.  L.  S.  Booth  took  a  hand  at  merchandising  (1847-1859),  part  of 
the  time  in  company  with  John  L.  Currier,  who  continued  the  business 
alone  for  two  or  three  years. 

A  Union  store  ("N.  E.  P.  U.,  No.  236")  was  established  at  Nor- 
wich Village  about  1853,  in  the  house  where  Mr.  Harry  Russ  resides, 
with  E.  ^1.  Lewis  as  agent  for  several  years;  then  the  place  of  busi- 
ness was  changed  to  where  Henry  Lary  lives,  with  J.  S.  Gordon  as 
agent,  who  was  succeeded  by  Harry  Russ.  After  a  short  existence,  the 
enterprise  went  the  way  of  nearly  all  co-operative  ventures. 

In  the  year  1842  the  mercantile  firm  of  F.  L.  and  E.  W.  Olds  was 
formed,  and  maintained  until  1874.  The  business  was  continued  by 
Edward  W.  Olds  at  the  old  corner  store  until  its  destruction  by  fire  on 
the  night  of  the  4th  of  August,  1875 ;  after  that  date,  in  the  brick  store 
built  by  John  Wright,  Esq.,  about  1828,  until  that  was  destroyed  by 
fire  December  29,  1899 ;  since  then  in  the  new  building  on  the  site  of 
the  one  last  destroyed,  where  ]\Ir.  Olds  is  still  waiting  upon  customers 
and  serving  the  LTnited  States  and  our  townspeople  as  postmaster. 

In  the  summer  of  1886,  a  handsome  and  commodious  building  was 
erected  by  Josiah  T.  Morrison  and  Fred  W.  Hawley  on  the  site  of  the 
old  corner  store.  This  partnership  was  continued  until  1889,  when 
Mr.  Hawlev  assumed  the  whole  business  and  is  still  in  trade  there. 

ft.'' 

Edward  M.  Lewis  sold  more  or  less  groceries  since  1857,  having  his 
place  of  business  during  the  first  few  years  at  the  village  and  since 
then  at  his  home  near  the  railroad  station.  Harry  Russ  and  Myron 
D.  Gibbs  were  similarly  employed  at  the  village,  1866-1874.  Beginning 
in  1868,  J.  G.  Stimson  dealt  largely  in  flour  and  feed,  but  relinquished 
the  business  to  his  son,  Charles,  who  keeps  his  goods  in  a  building  in 
the  rear  of  his  residence  on  Main  Street. 


148  HISTORY    OiF    NORWICH 

In  1891,  L.  K.  Merrill  moved  to  town  and  opened  a  general  store  in 
the  south  end  of  the  Barstow  block,  where  he  remained  in  business  until 
1895,  when  he  disposed  of  his  stock  of  goods  to  Merrill  and  Smith,  who 
have  continued  the  business  ever  since. 

In  the  '40 's,  S.  &  H.  Moore  kept  store  at  Beaver  Meadow.  H.  &  E. 
Morgan  were  in  trade  there  from  1841  to  1858.  About  1854  a  union 
store  was  established  there. 


CHAPTER  XX 


CEMETERIES 


In  the  ii'raveyard  at  Pompanoosuc,  which  was  the  earliest  one  estab- 
lished in  town,  are  the  graves  of  two  infant  sons  (twins)  of  Deacon 
John  Slafter,  that  died  in  May,  1770.  These  were  the  earliest  graves 
noticed.  In  this  yard  are  the  graves  of  many  of  the  early  settlers  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town,  among  them  those  of  the  Waterman,  Bart- 
lett,  Baldwin,  Burnap,  Slafter,  Smalley,  Goodrich,  Hedges,  Hezekiah 
Johnson,  Lyman,  Lord,  Brownson,  Jaquith,  Carey,  and  Root  families. 

At  the  Center  graveyard,  near  the  site  of  the  old  meeting  house,  also 
may  be  found  many  graves  of  early  date,  including  those  of  the  Olcott, 
Murdock  (except  Hon.  Thomas  M.),  Armstrong,  Hutchinson  (in  part), 
Johnson,  Newton,  Hovey,  Vinsen,  Loveland  (in  part),  and  Yarrington 
families,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Goddard,  and  Zerah  Colburn,  the  mathemat- 
ical prodigy. 

In  the  old  cemetery  at  the  village  are  many  early  graves  (one  of 
date  of  1770,  probably  of  Jonathan  Marsh,  who  died  that  year).  Here 
lie  the  remains  of  the  Brigham,  Brown,  Bigelow,  Boardman,  Curtis, 
Coit,  Emerson,  Hatch,  Hopson,  Lewis,  Partridge,  and  part  of  the 
Hutchinson  and  Loveland  families,  and  many  others.  This  cemetery 
is  the  last  resting  place  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  men  most  prom- 
inent in  the  history  of  the  town, — of  Jacob,  Elisha,  Pierce,  and  Har- 
vey Burton,  of  John,  Joseph,  and  Reuben  Hatch,  of  Samuel,  Alden,  and 
Cyrus  Partridge,  of  Lieut-Gov.  Paul  Brigham  and  his  family,  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Lewis  and  Enos  Lewis,  of  Hon.  Abel  Curtis,  Hon.  Thomas  Mur- 
dock, Hon.  Ebenezer  Brown,  Col.  Truman  B.  Ransom,  John  Wright, 
Esq.,  Rev.  J.  W.  Woodward,  Col.  William  E.  Lewis,  and  others. 

The  cemetery  on  the  hill  west  of  the  village — the  latest  public  burial 
place  established  in  town — was  a  gift  from  the  late  Hon.  Aaron  Love- 
land, whose  remains  are  interred  therein, 


150  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

In  the  west  part  of  the  town  is  a  plot  of  ground  near  where  a  pest- 
house  once  stood,  where  were  buried  the  victims  of  the  smallpox,  which 
was  epidemic  in  town  about  1799.  This  lot  of  land  is  said  to  be  the 
property  of  the  town  and  was  probably  intended  to  be  used  solely  for 
the  interment  of  persons  who  died  from  that  disease. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


EPIDEMICS  IN  NORWICH 

It  is  probable  that  smallpox  prevailed  in  town  in  1797,  for  we  learn 
by  the  records  of  a  town  meeting  held  that  year  that  it  was  "voted  to 
provide  for  innoculation  for  the  smallpox,  to  be  carried  on  under  the 
selectmen  and  a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose. ' '  At  that  time 
a  pest  house*  was  established,  and  rigid  regulations  adopted  for  stamp- 
ing out  the  scourge  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Paul  Brigham,  Joseph* 
Hatch,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Lewis.  At  a  town  meeting  held  in  January, 
1803,  it  was  "voted  to  give  liberty  to  have  the  smallpox  introduced  into 
town  by  innoculation,  for  two  months  only,  to  be  carried  out  under  the 
superintendence  of  a  committee  in  certain  houses  to  be  described  as  pest 
houses. ' ' 

During  the  winter  of  1811-12,  the  spotted  fever  prevailed  and 
claimed  many  victims.  In  1798,  dysentery  was  present  in  epidemic 
form.  In  1823,  the  number  of  deaths  was  forty-six,  the  cause  not 
known.  Between  March  and  November,  1832,  thirteen  children  under 
eight  years  of  age  died  of  canker  rash.  During  1834-5,  there  were  six- 
ty-four deaths.  What  the  prevailing  disease  was,  we  know  not.  In 
1843,  there  were  fifty-three  deaths  in  town,  eight  in  January  and  nine 
in  February  and  March,  over  twenty  being  attributed  to  erysipelas. 
Ten  of  the  deaths  this  year  were  of  persons  over  eighty  years  old, 
average  age  eightv-four  vears.  The  deaths  in  1842  numbered  fiftv- 
four,  about  one-half  being  children,  mostly  under  five  years  of  age,  of 
canker  rash.     Seven  persons  over  eighty  years  of  age  died  in  1844. 

The  following  curious  causes  of  deaths  in  town  are  copied 
from  records:  "May  31,  1827,  Polly  Lord,  inflammation — Thom- 
sonian  doctrine;  September  1,  1829,  Joseph  Yates  Spooner,  36  years, 
suddenly,  by  green  corn ;  September  24,  1830,  Jacob  Sawyer,  76  years, 

*The  pest  house  was  on  land  subsequently  included  in  the  farm  of  the  late  Gardner 
Davis,  in  Beaver  Meadow.  Near  the  site  of  the  pest  house  are  graves  of  several  persons 
who  died  of  smallpox, 


152  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

suddenly  in  the  field;  January  3,  1833,  James  Johnson,  73  years,  in- 
temperance, bowel  complaint ;  January  29,  1835,  Widow  Geer,  90  years 
(old  age),  had  been  blind  twenty  years;  August  12,  1835,  Miss  Joiner, 
suddenly,  from  eating  fruit ;  June  11,  1829,  Widow  Evans,  75  years, 
supposed  to  have  been  poisoned  by  a  spider  in  some  lettuce;  August 
28,  1806,  Ames,  23  years,  suicide ;  May  5,  1807,  Hiram  Baxter,  7  years, 
lived  one  day  after  excess  of  drinking;  October  25,  1825,  James  Ellis, 
45  years,  hung  himself;  1827,  Samuel  Gleason,  drowned;  January  2, 
1834,  Captain  Safford,  78  years,  frozen ;  April  22,  183'5,  Jeremiah  Bis- 
sell,  suicide;  June  1,  1839,  Ann  Hatch,  32  years,  suicide  by  drowning; 
March,  1843,  Calvin  Freeman,  70  3^ears,  intemperate,  layed  out ;  No- 
vember 7,  1841,  ]\lrs.  Sweeney,  murdered  by  her  husband,  James 
Sweeney. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXII 


AGRICULTURE  IN  NORWICH 

By  favor  of  Hon.  George  W.  Richards,  Acting'  Superintendent  of  the 
Census  Office  at  Washington,  the  statistics  of  agriculture  of  the  census 
of  1880  for  the  town  of  Norwich  have  been  compiled  for  our  use.  These 
statistics  have  never  before  been  published.  In  the  following  list  we 
have  compared  them  with  those  of  1840,  so  far  as  the  latter  were  col- 
lected in  the  census  of  that  year : 

Products  of  the  Farm 


i88o 

1840 

Horses,  Number  of, 

*423 

481 

Cattle,  Number  of — AVorking  Oxen, 

197, 

* 

;VIilch  Cows, 

700, 

Other  Cattle, 

589, 

1,486 

2,348 

Sheep,  Number  of, 

t9,847 

13,395 

Wool,  pounds  raised. 

37,388 

27,639 

Wool,  fleeces,  spring  .clip  of  1880, 

* 

7,124 

Swine, 

409 

1,559 

Poultry, 

3,859 

Eggs,  dozens  (produced  in  1879), 

17,070 

Hay,  tons, 

6,032 

5,265 

Acres  of  ground  mown. 

6,000 

Wheat,  bushels. 

2,233 

3,801 

Indian  Corn,  bushels, 

20,791 

11,119 

Rye,  bushels, 

418 

2,854 

Oats,  bushels. 

21,541 

20,727 

Barley,  bushels. 

71 

349 

Buckwheat,  bushels. 

741 

11,182 

*In  Thonipsoiis  Gazetteer  oi  Vermrnt,  edition  of  1824,  the  number  of  horses  in  town  in 
1823  is  given  as  361,  and  the  number  of  cattle  as  2,159. 
t Exclusive  of  spring  lambs. 


154  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

Potatoes,  bushels,  21,946         53,480 

Maple  Sugar,  pounds,  53,185         15,730 

JMaple  Molasses,  gallons, .  .  413 

Honey,  pounds,  1,980 

Beans,  bushels,  1,212 

Peas,  bushels,  16 

Apples,  bushels,  20,855 

Butter,  pounds  (produced  in  1879),  73,432 

Cheese,  pounds  (produced  in  1879),  13,927 

Milk,  gallons  (sold  in  1879),  4,993 

Wood,  cords   (cut  in  1879),  3,842 

Number  of  farms  in  town  of  over  three  acres,     228 

Number  of  farms  cultivated  bv  owners,  "  209 

Number  of  farms  rented  for  fixed  monev  rental,  ' '  5 

Number  of  farms  rented  for  share  of  products,  "  14 

Land  in  farms,  acres  improved,  22,342 

Land  in  farms,  acres  unimproved,  5,425 

Total  value  of  farm  products  in  1879,  $105,420 

Total  value  of  forest  products  in  1879,  $13,360 

Total  value  of  orchard  products  in  1879,  $5,082 

Total  value  of  market  garden  products  in  1879,  $880 

While  a  few  branches  of  husbandrv  show  a  notable  increase  in  the 
aggregate  of  products  in  the  last  forty  years,  others  have  fallen  off. 
Probably  the  average  of  arable  land  is  now  considerably  less  than  in 
1840.  The  yield  of  hay  appears  to  be  fully  maintained,  and  shows  a 
product  of  a  trifle  over  one  ton  for  each  acre  mown — not  a  very  flat- 
tering exhibit  to  be  sure. 

A  decided  improvement  in  the  grade  of  sheep  appears  in  the  fact 
that,  while  the  number  of  animals  kept  is  more  than  one-fourth  smaller 
than  in  1840,  the  weight  of  wool  shorn  has  increased  over  one-third, 
and  averages  about  five  and  one-fourth  pounds  to  each  fleece. 

The  incompleteness  of  the  census  of  1840  makes  it  of  comparatively 
little  value  for  purposes  of  comparison  with  the  much  fuller  schedules 
of  1880.  The  absence  of  comparative  dairy  statistics  is  especially  to 
be  regretted. 

The  culture  of  the  strawberry  for  market  is  a  new  industry  that  has 
r*eached  considerable  magnitude  in  town  in  recent  years,  the  product 


AGRICULTURE    IN    NORWICH  1 55 

being  estimated  in  1884  to  reach  fully  one  thousand  bushels  of  fruit, 
of  a  market  value  of  about  $3,000, — an  item  that  seems  to  have  been 
overlooked  in  the  census  report  of  1880. 

The  process  of  ensilaging  green  fodder  received  early  attention  here, 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  llazen  being  the  first  to  employ  it  on  a  large  scale. 
Several  leading  farmers  have  since  built  silos  for  themselves,  from  the 
use  of  which  thev  claim  to  have  realized  a  decided  benefit. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


FREE  MASONRY 

It  does  not  appear  that  any  Masonic  Lodge  has  ever  existed  in  Nor- 
wich. Quite  a  number  of  our  citizens,  however,  as  might  be  expected, 
have  at  different  times  belonged  to  lodges  in  adjacent  towns.  In  the 
list  of  members  of  Franklin  Lodge,  established  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  in 
1796,  we  find  the  names  of  the  following  Norwich  men,  with  the  year 
of  their  admission:  Reuben  Hatch,  Freegrace  Leavitt  (1798),  William 
Sumner  (1799),  Thomas  Brigham,  Erastus  Leavitt,  and  Moses  Hay- 
ward  (1800),  Reuben  Partridge,  Andrew  Dewey,  William  Little,  Levi 
Richards,  Aaron  West  (1801-1807),  Lyman  Lewis,  Elijah  Slafter, 
Simon  Baldwin,  Enos  Lewis,  Jasper  Johnson,  Noah  Lewis  (1808), 
Charles  Hutchins,  Sewell  Gleason  (1809),  Ephraim  Hall,  George  Olds, 
Jr.,  and  Pierce  Burton  (1810),  Manly  G.  Woodbury,  Silas  Morse,Ammi 
B.  Allen,  and  Barzilla  Bush,  Jr.  (1813-1820).  The  roll  probably  bears 
other  Norwich  names  that  we  do  not  now  recognize.  The  Franklin 
Lodge  was  moved  to  Lebanon  in  1821,  where  it  still  flourishes.  In 
1807  and  1808,  Doctor  Thomas  Brigham  of  Norwich  was  master  of  the 
lodge,  who,  on  his  sudden  departure  from  town  and  abandonment  of 
his  family,  was  promptly  expelled  therefrom  by  notice  published  in 
the  Vermont  Journal  at  AVindsor,  in  April,  1809,  "for  immoral  conduct 
unworthy  a  Mason  and  a  gentleman. ' ' 

Other  Norwich  Masons  of  that  time,  not  of  the  Franklin  Lodge,  were 
Captain  Calvin  Seaver,  Jeremiah  Bissell,  Ebenezer  Spear,  2nd,  Lyman 
Baldwin,  and  William  Leconte. 

At  the  height  of  the  Anti-Masonic  agitation,  about  1830,  a  great  com- 
motion was  raised  in  the  North  Congregational  Church,  growing  out 
of  the  refusal  of  the  majority  of  the  church,  led  by  Deacon  Israel 
Newton,  to  go  to  communion   with  those  church  members  who  were 


JFREE   MASONRY  1 57 

Masons.  ^Manifestoes  and  resolutions  were  presented  in  church  meet- 
ings on  both  sides,  and  a  heated  controversy  raged  through  several 
months  upon  this  question,  eliciting  much  bitterness  of  feeling.  A  set- 
tlement was  finally  effected  by  mutual  concessions,  the  Anti-Masonic 
party  agreeing  to  cease  their  attacks  upon  the  institution  before  the 
church,  and  the  Masons  agreeing  to  absent  themselves  from  the  meet- 
ings of  the  lodge,  at  least  for  a  time. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


DISTINGUISHED  VISITORS  IN  NORWICH 

The  convening  of  the  legislature  at  Norwich  in  June,  1785,  has  been 
noticed,  as  well  as  the  meeting  of  the  first  Council  of  Census  here.  In 
later  years,  prominent  citizens  and  public  officials  have  on  several 
occasions  visited  the  town.  Norwich  was  the  first  town  in  Vermont 
to  welcome  to  its  hospitalities  a  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States. 
President  James  Munroe,  in  his  trip  through  New  England  in  the 
summer  of  1817,  entered  the  state  at  Norwich  on  the  22nd  of  July."* 
After  a  drive  to  Copperas  Hill,  the  presidential  party  returned  by 
way  of  Strafford  to  Norwich  Plain,  and  alighted  at  Curtis'  Hotel, f 
where  a  number  of  citizens  were  in  attendance,  who  presented  to  ^Ir. 
Munroe  the  following  appropriate  and  patriotic 

Address 

To  the  Pi'esident  of  the  United  States: 

Sir  : — A  few  citizens  of  Vermont  upon  your  first  entrance  on  the  borders  of 
the  state  present  you  a  united  and  hearty  welcome. 

With  the  liveliest  emotions  of  duty  we  meet  for  the  first  time,  a  Chief 
Magistrate  of  the  Union  within  our  territory.  An  emulation  to  pay  respectful 
attention  to  the  ruler  of  our  nation,  appointed  by  our  own  choice,  under  a  constitu- 
tion so  eminently  calculated  for  individual  security,  for  individual  interests  and 
national  happiness ;  a  spontaneous  burst  of  joy  among  all  classes  of  our  citizens, 
at  the  visit  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  are  the  best  pledges   a  free 

*Mr.  Monroe  came  into  town  directly  from  Hanover  where  (so  the  journal  of  his  trip 
relates)  he  unexpectedly  met  an  eld  acquaintance  in  the  widow  of  President  John 
Wheelock,  then  recently  deceased.  This  lady  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  at 
Trenton  at  the  time  of  the  battle  there  in  1777,  in  which  young  Monroe  was  engaged  as 
lieutenant  of  a  company  and  was  wounded.  She  was  the  person  who  dressed  his  wound 
after  he  had  been  conveyed  to  the  house  where  she  then  was.  Sanborn'' s  History  of  iVew 
Hampshire,  p.  266. 

tCurtis  Hotel  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  "  Newton  Inn,"  and  was  kept  by 
Eleazer  Curtis. 


DISTINGUISHED   VISITORS    IN    NORWICH  I59 

people  can  present  to  a  Chief  Magistrate  of  their  contentment  with  the  laws,  and 
the  operation  of  them  in  the  government  under  the  constitution,  and  their  confi- 
dence in  the  administration.  Thi<  emulation,  joy,  and  confidence  we  tender  you, 
Sir;  and  in  Vermont,  it  is  believed,  you  will  find  everywhere  these  sentiments,  as 
you  have  before  this,  on  your  present  tour,  experienced  them  in  other  sections  of 
the  Union. 

These  testimonials  we  present  you.  Sir,  in  behalf  of  our  fellow  citizens.* 

To  which  the  President  was  pleased  to  return  a  verbal  answer. 

The  President  and  his  suite,  with  a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  then 
partook  of  a  dinner,  prepared  by  Mr.  Eleazer  Curtis  in  handsome 
style.  After  dinner  the  President  was  introduced  to  a  number  of 
ladies,  collected,  while  the  company  were  dining,  for  the  purpose  of 
seeing  him.  He  was  also  introduced  to  a  large  number  of  the  children 
of  the  neighborhood.  The  company,  men,  women,  and  children,  were 
highlv  ^'ratified  at  the  sight  and  introduction  of  the  President.  He 
stayed  in  the  place  about  two  hours,  and  then  bade  the  company  an 
affectionate  farewell,  and  left  Norwich  for  Windsor. 

Ex- Vice-President  Richard  M.  Johnson  visited  Norwich,  October  25, 
1843,  and  had  a  public  reception  here.  He  was  greeted  with  military 
honors,  under  the  direction  of  General  T.  B.  Ransom,  on  his  approach 
to  the  village  from  Hanover,  Avhere  he  had  been  entertained  the  day 
before.  John  Wright,  Esq.,  made  an  address  of  welcome  (hereto 
appended),  to  which  Colonel  Johnson  responded.  The  ceremonies  of 
the  occasion  were  concluded  by  a  review  of  the  corps  of  cadets  by  the 
distinguished  guest,  and  by  a  barbecue  on  the  parade  ground  of  Nor- 
wich University  in  the  evening,  accompanied  by  festivities  of  a  varied 
and  unusual  character. 

Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson : 

Sir: —  In  the  name  and  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Norwich,  I  am  delegated 
to  tender  to  you  a  sincere  welcome  to  our  small  but  delightful  village. 

It  is,  Sir,  with  great  diffidence  that  I  attempt  to  express  to  you  the  enthusi- 
astic feelings  of  gratitude,  and  friendship,  which  pervade  the  bosoms  of  this 
assembled  multitude. 

You  find  yourself.  Sir,  in  the  midst  of  a  people  the  great  mass  of  whom  are 
engaged  in  the  laudable  and  honorable  pursuit  of  agriculture,  owning  as  well  as 
cultivating  with  their  own  hands  these  broad  and  fertile  fields,  and  although  our 
avocations  are  of  the  rustic  kind,  and  we  have  not  probed  deep  in  "'  Classic  Lore," 

*The  name  of  the  person  who  acted  as  spokesman  on  this  occasion  in  behalf  of  his 
townsmen  has  not  been  ascertained,  but  is  believed  to  have  been  Ebenezar  Brown,  Esq. 


l6o  HISTORY    OF    NORWICtt 

Still  I  hazard  nothing  in  saying  you  will  find  us  as  generous,  and  as  warm-hearted 
possessed  of  as  much  philanthropy,  as  strongly  attached  to  our  country,  her  con- 
stitution, and  laws,  as  any  portion  of  the  population  of  this  mighty  Republic. 

With  these  feelings  throbbing  in  the  heart  of  every  individual  in  this  assembly, 
they  have  left  their  farms,  their  work  shops,  and  their  cares,  and  come  up  here 
this  day  to  welcome  among  them  one,  who  has  done  so  much  for  the  benefit  and 
honor  of  our  beloved  country. 

Sir,  your  untiring  efforts  while  in  the  council  of  the  Nation  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate  debtor,  your  zealous  and  successful  exer- 
tions to  restore  to  the  war-worn  soldier  of  the  Revolution  a  small  part  of  his  hard 
earnings,  your  bold  and  fortunate  course  to  allay  the  animosity  of  angry  politicians 
upon  subjects  of  legislation  touching  the  conscience  of  man  (which  is  between  him 
and  his  God);  [  must  be  allowed  to  say  to  you.  Sir,  these  acts  of  yours  alone, 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  endeared  you  to  every  honest,  independent 
freeman  of  America.  But,  Sir,  I  stop  not  here.  In  the  early  part  of  the  late  war, 
urged  upon  us  by  the  aggression  of  Great  Britain,  you  took  an  active  part,  and 
drew  your  sword  in  defence  of  your  injured  and  insulted  country  with  a  determina- 
tion never  to  sheath  it  until  that  haughty  nation  and  her  red  allies  should  be  driven 
from  the  continent  or  forced  to  submit  to  an  honorable  peace. 

In  the  ever  memorable  year  1813,  when  our  country  was  bleeding  at  every  pore, 
our  western  and  northwestern  frontier  almost  deluged  with,  the  blood  of  helpless 
women  and  innocent  children  wantonly  massacred  by  the  barbarous  savage, 
instigated  to  the  horrid  act  by  the  bribery  of  British  gold  ;  at  this  eventful  period 
we  find  you,  Sir,  fast  hastening  to  the  scene  of  danger  with  a  host  of  Kentucky's 
noblest  sons. 

The  western  breeze  soon  wafted  to  our  ears  the  joyful  news  that  the  enemy 
was  driven  from  our  soil,  and  Proctor  and  Tecumseh  were  retreating  to  the  interior 
of  the  British  dominions  for  safety,  closely  pursued  by  the  mounted  riflemen  of 
Kentucky,  under  their  gallant  and  invincible  leader  and  commander,  R.  M.  John- 
son (our  distinguished  guest).  With  breathless  anxiety  we  waited  to  hear  the 
result.  The  glorious  news  soon  came  that  General  Proctor's  army  was  captured, 
Tecumseh  slain,  and  Proctor  had  saved  himself  by  flight. 

History  has  furnished  us  the  facts,  how  and  by  whom  this  great  achievement 
was  obtained.  We  learn  from  this  that  you,  Sir,  acted  a  most  conspicuous  part. 
Your  chivalrous  deeds  on  the  plains  of  Moravian  Town  have  made  an  indelible 
impression  on  our  minds  which  time  cannot  eradicate.  The  faithful  pen  of  history 
has  and  will  record  your  noble  deeds  of  valor,  and  of  patriotism. 

Your  name,  Sir,  the  name  of  R.  M.  Johnson,  is  associated  with  the  imperish- 
able names  of  Harrison  and  Shelby,  and  millions  yet  unborn  will  read  with  admir- 
ation your  political  acts,  and  martial  exploits. 

Sir,  with  pride  and  pleasure  we  shall  often  recur  to  this  day,  when  we  had  the 
honor  and  satisfaction  of  seeing  and  hearing  from  one  who  had  so  often  jeopard- 
ised his  life  in  defence  of  our  country's  rights. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  we  learn  your  visit  with  us  must  be  so  short,  but,  Sir, 
should  you  return  to  the  rich  valleys  and  green  hills  of  your  much  loved  Kentucky 


DISTINGUISHED   VISITORS    IN    NORWICH  l6l 

to  enjoy  in  quiet  retirement  the  remainder  of  your  days,  or  should  you  again  be 
called  by  the  voice  of  your  fellow  citizens  into  the  service  of  your  country,  be 
assured,  Sir,  our  morning  orisons  will  be  fervently  offered  up  for  your  health, 
happiness,  and  the  full  enjoyments  of  all  the  blessings  of  life. 

Accept  then.  Sir,  in  the  sincere  spirit  in  which  it  is  offered,  this  simple  tribute 
to  your  exalted  virtues. 

Again,  Sir,  not  only  the  citizens  of  Norwich,  but  the  thousands  of  "  Green 
Mountain  Boys  "  now  around  us,  the  descendants  of  those  who  fought  at  Benning- 
ton and  Saratoga,  with  this  throng  of  the  hardy  yeomanry  of  New  Hampshire, 
sons  of  those  noble  sires  who,  under  the  immortal  Stark,  vanquished  the  legions  of 
Britain  on  the  hills  of  Willoomscoik,  join  in  bidding  you  welcome,  a  thrice  hearty 
welcome,  among  us. 

President  U.  S.  Grant  and  President  R.  B.  Hayes  each  passed 
through  the  town  during  their  respective  terms  of  ofBce,  the  former, 
August  27,  1869,  the  latter  in  1877,  on  the  20th  of  the  same  month. 
On  each  occasion  the  cars  were  detained  a  few  moments  at  the  raih^oad 
station,  to  give  the  people  an  opportunity  to  see  and  be  introduced  to 
these  high  officials  and  honored  citizens  of  the  republic. 

The  route  of  General  Lafayette  in  his  rapid  passage  through  Ver- 
mont in  1825  did  not  enter  Norwich,  but  proceeded  up  White  River 
from  Windsor  and  Woodstock  to  Royalton,  and  from  thence  to  Mont- 
pelier  and  Burlington.  ]\Iuch  attention  and  honor  were  everywhere 
paid  to  the  illustrious  Frenchman,  and  there  was  a  general  turnout 
of  the  people,  and  especially  of  the  old  Revolutionary  veterans,  to  greet 
this  early  friend  of  American  liberty.  Among  other  benefactions  con- 
ferred by  Lafayette  upon  his  former  companions  in  arms  during  his 
visit  to  the  United  States  was  the  liberation  of  General  William  Burton 
from  imprisonment  in  the  jail  of  Caledonia  County,  by  the  payment 
of  a  debt  of  considerable  amount,  on  account  of  which  he  had  suffered 
confinement  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years.* 

Earlier  in  time  than  either  of  the  visits  above  mentioned,  in  one  of 
the  first  years  of  the   century,   another  illustrious  foreigner  passed 

*It  is  not  generally  remembered  that  an  expedition  for  the  invasion  of  Canada  was 
planned  by  the  Continental  Congress  in  the  early  spring  of  1778,  the  command  of  which 
was  given  to  Lafayette,  then  freshly  arrived  in  this  country  from  France.  The  raising  of 
troops  was  begun  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Connecticut  (including  Norwich)  to  participate 
in  the  expedition,  and  Lafayette  came  on  to  Albany,  and  to  Bennington,  probably,  to 
superintend  the  organization  of  forces  for  the  contemplated  invasion.  But  the  campaign 
was  suddenly  abandoned,  for  military  reasons,  before  preparations  were  complete  for 
action. 


162  MISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

through  Vermont  while  making  the  tour  of  the  United  States  and 

Canada.     This  was  none  other  than  Thomas  Moore,  the  poet,  justly 

famous  for  his  "Irish  Melodies/'  wherever  the  English  language  is 

spoken,  and  for  the  tender  sweetness  of  his  lyric  verse.     AVhat  portions 

of  the  state  he  visited  is  not  now  with  certainty  known,  nor  how  long 

he  tarried  therein,  but  that  he  was  charmed  by  the  picturesque  beauty 

of  the  natural  scenery,  and  by  the  Arcadian  peace  and  happiness  of 

our  people,  is  attested  by  an  exquisite  little  ballad  composed  while  he 

was  traveling  through  the  state.     Happy  the  people  whose  outward 

life  was  thus  portrayed !     We  have  room  only  for  the  first  stanza : — 

"  I  knew  by  the  smoke  that  so  gracefully  curled 

Above  the  green  elms,  that  a  cottage  was  near, 

And  I  thought,  '  If  there's  peace  to  be  found  in  the  world, 

A  heart  that  is  humble  might  hope  for  it  here.' " 


PART   II 

BIOGRAPHICAL 


Part  II  contains  brief  biographical  sketches  of  such  early  families  of 
Norwich  as  the  authors  of  this  volume  were  able  to  obtain. 


BAXTER  FAMILY 

The  Baxters  of  this  town  came  here  from  Norwich,  Connecticut,  a 
town  which  their  ancestors  with  others  from  Norwich,  England,  as- 
sisted in  founding'  about  the  year  1632. 

Elihu  Baxter,  with  his  young  wife,  Tryphena  Taylor,  to  whom  he 
was  married  October  24,  1777,  arrived  in  Norwich  the  same  year,  and 
here  fifteen  children  (six  daughters  and  nine  sons)  were  born  to  them, 
twelve  of  whom  lived  to  grow  up  and  have  families  of  their  own.  ]\Ir. 
Baxter  settled  on  the  farm  that  subsequently  became  the  home  of  Hon. 
Paul  Brigham.  He  later  removed  to  the  farm  where  Orson  Sargent 
lives,  and  there  built  himself  a  frame  house,  a  part  of  which  is  now 
in  use  by  the  present  owner  of  the  property. 

Of  his  children,  William,  the  eldest,  born  August  3,  1778,  studied 
law  with  Hon.  Daniel  A.  Buck  of  Norwich,  and  removed  to  Bennington, 
Vt.,  where  he  soon  became  the  leading  lawyer  in  that  part  of  the  state, 
and  received  many  honors  from  his  town  and  county.  He  married 
Lydia  Ashley  of  Norwich,  August  17,  1779,  and  died  at  Bennington 
October  1,  1826,  aged  forty  nine  years. 

Hiram  settled  in  Bennington  a  little  after  1800. 

Elihu,  Jr.,  the  third  child,  born  in  1781,  died  at  Portland,  Me.,  in 
1863,  where  he  had  been  in  the  practice  of  medicine  for  many  years. 

Chester,  born  in  1785,  died  at  Sharon,  Vt.,  in  1863.  He  married 
Hannah  Root  and  thev  had  one  daughter  who  married Deane. 

James,  the  sixth  son,  born  in  1788,  established  himself  at  Stanstead, 
L.  C,  in  1817,  where  he  became  very  prominent  in  public  affairs; 
was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Parliament  in  1829 — first  member 
from  Stanstead  Countv — and  held  other  offices  of  honor. 

Erastus,  born  in  1787,  married  Lucy  Freeman,  and  of  their  nine 
children  eight  were  born  in  Norwich.  He  removed  late  in  life  to  the 
state  of  New  York  and  died  at  Gorham,  that  state. 

Ira,  the  second  son  and  child,  married  Arsena  Sprague  of  Hartford, 
Vt.,  in  1802j  and  to  them  were  born  nine  children,  of  whom  Laura,  the 


l66  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

eldest  daughter,  born  in  1803,  married  Henry  S.  Burton,  She  died  in 
1862,  followed  by  her  husband  in  1883,  in  the  ninety-first  year  of  his 
age.  Marshall  D.,  born  in  1813,  died  at  Lyme,  N.  H.,  1876,  to  which 
place  he  removed  after  having  passed  many  years  of  his  life  in  his 
native  town.  He  married  Esther,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  God- 
dard  of  Norwich,  Nov.  1,  1838.  Arabella,  the  second  daughter,  born  in 
1807,  married  Samuel  Little  in  1825.  She  died  in  1849,  and  Mr.  Little 
in  1870  (both  in  Norwich),  the  latter  aged  seventy  years.  Harriet, 
born  in  1823,  was  their  youngest  child.  She  died  in  Norwich,  August 
25,  1854,  the  wife  of  Lewis  S.  Partridge,  to  whom  she  was  married 
June  16,  1846.  Ira  Baxter  settled  on  the  farm  where  his  son-in-law 
Burton  lived  at  a  later  date  (now  owned  by  Messenger  and  Hazen) 
and  there  built  his  tannery,  already  mentioned. 


THE  BLAISDELL  FAMILY 

Michael  Blaisdell,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  Norwich,  came 
from  Plainfield,  N.  H.,  in  the  year  1813,  and  settled  on  the  farm  where 
Henry  S.  Goddard  now  lives.  His  sons  were  Jonathan,  Levi,  Stephen, 
and  Thomas. 

Of  these  Levi  and  Stephen  spent  their  lives  in  town  and  reared  large 
families. 


BOARDMAN  FAMILY 

Samuel  Borman  emigrated  from  Devonshire  or  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1639,  and  settled  in  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  in  1641,  where  he 
died  in  1673.  His  name  is  identified  with  many  official  positions  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Colony. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  original  letter  to  Samuel  Borman  from 
his  mother,  carefully  preserved  by  Wm.  Boardman  of  Wethersfield, 
Conn.,  one  of  her  seventh  generation : 

"Obrydon,  the  5th  of  February,  1641. 

"Good  Sonne — I  have  receaved  your  letter:  whereby  I  understand 
you  are  in  good  health,  for  which  I  give  God  thanks,  as  we  are  all — 


BIOGRAPHICAL  167 

Praised  be  God  for  the  same.  Whereas  you  desire  to  see  your  brother 
Christopher  with  you,  he  is  no.  ready  for  so  great  a  journey,  nor  doe 
I  think  he  dare  take  uppon  him  so  dangerous  voige.  Your  five  sisters 
are  all  alive  and  in  good  health  and  remember  their  love  to  you.  Your 
father  hath  been  dead  almost  this  two  years — and  this  troubling  you 
no  farther  at  this  time  I  rest  praying  to  God  to  bless  you  and  your 
wife  unto  whom  we  all  kindly  remember  our  loves. 

"Your  ever  loving  mother, 

' '  Julian  Borman.  ' ' 

The  names  "Borman"  and  "Boreman"  appear  on  the  Wethersfield 
records  until  1712;  afterwards  it  appears  as  "Bordman,"  and  later 
on  as  "Boardman." 

Capt.  Nathaniel  Boardman,  great-srandson  of  Samuel  Borman  who 
settled  in  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  in  1641,  was  born  there  in  1734; 
was  captain  of  a  militia  company  during  the  French  and  Indian  war ; 
in  1758  married  Esther  Carver,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Governor  Car- 
ver of  Plymouth  Colony;  in  1775  removed  from  Bolton,  Conn.,  to 
Norwich,  Vt.,  wdth  his  wife  and  eight  children,  the  eldest  fifteen  and 
the  youngest  one  yea.v  old,  the  entire  journey  being  made  on  horseback. 
Captain  Boardman  died  at  Norwich  in  1814,  aged  eighty-one  years. 
His  wife,  Esther,  died  in  1833,  aged  ninety-seven  years. 

Doctor  Nathaniel  Boardman,  eldest  son  of  Captain  Boardman,  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  1759 ;  came  to  Norwich  in  1775  ;  married  Philomela 
Huntington,  whose  father  was  cousin  to  Samuel  Huntington,  first 
President  of  Congress;  died  1842,  aged  eighty-four  years.  His  eldest 
son.  Rev.  Elderkin  J.,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  about  1815,  also  at 
Andover ;  Congregational  minister  for  many  years  in  Vermont ;  re- 
moved to  Iowa  in  1858,  where  his  son,  Hon.  Henry  E.  J.  Boardman, 
a  prominent  and  wealthy  citizen,  now  resides.  Another  son  of  Doctor 
Boardman 's,  who  died  in  Norw^ich  in  1867,  was  the  last  in  the  line  of 
five  "Nathaniels,"  father  and  son,  extending  back  to  Hon.  Samuel 
Borman. 

Halsey  J.  Boardman,  son  of  the  fifth  Nathaniel,  was  born  in  Norwich 
in  1834;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1858;  removed  to  Boston 
in  1859 ;  commissioner  of  Board  of  Enrolment  for  the  fourth  ^lassa- 
chusetts  district  durino'  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  member  of  the  Bos- 


1 68  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

ton  Common  Council  in  1873,  74  and  75,  and  president  of  that  body 
in  1875 ;  Republican  candidate  for  mayor  in  1876,  being  defeated  by 
a  vote  of  14,000  to  12,000  by  the  citizens'  candidate;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  for  1883,  '84  and  '85. 


EBENEZER  BROWN 

His  parents,  birth,  and  birthplace  are  not  known.  He  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  in  1778.  He  studied  for  the  ministry  and 
preached  for  a  time  in  Bethel,  Vt.,  but  was  never  ordained.  He  soon 
settled  in  Norwich  as  a  farmer  on  a  farm  on  Christran  St.,  lately  occu- 
pied by  Roswell  Tenney,  where  he  died  May  10,  1830,  aged  80  years. 
He  was  familiarly  known  in  Norwich  as  "Deacon  Brown."  He  mar- 
ried Patience,  daughter  of  Samuel  Bell  of  Norwich. 

Ebenezer  Brown,  son  of  Shubael  and  Edith  (Bradford)  Brown, 
came  to  Norwich  at  an  early  age  from  Canterbury,  Conn.  He  grad- 
uated from  Dartmouth  College,  1787;  studied  law  with  Hon.  Daniel 
Buck,  and  opened  the  first  law  office  on  Norwich  Plain,  and  there 
practiced  his  profession  till  his  death,  September  25,  1822.  He  was 
assistant  judge  of  Windsor  County  Court  in  1814  and  chief  judge  of 
the  court  in  1815.  He  married  (1)  Anna,  daughter  of  Hon.  Thomas 
Murdock,  January  13,  1793,  and  (2)  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Josiah 
Dana  of  Barre,  Mass.,  January  12,  1814.  He  was  brother  of  John 
Brown,  many  years  first  constable  of  Norv/ich  and  otherwise  prom- 
inent in  town  affairs. 

Mr.  Brown's  first  wife  was  mother  of  the  late  Miss  Julia  Brown, 
and  his  second  wife  mother  of  the  late  Mrs.  Mary  Godfrey,  both  of 
Norwich. 


JACOB  BURTON 

It  is  (piite  impossible  to  indulge  in  even  a  brief  review  of  Mr.  Bur- 
ton's advent  into  Norwich  from  Preston,  Conn.,  without  repeating 
something  of  what  is  said  of  him  in  other  places  in  this  volume, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  1 69 

iNIr.  Burton  came  to  Norwich,  to  reside,  in  the  latter  part  of  176,5, 
bj'inging  with  liirn  his  sons,  Elisha,  John,  Josiah,  Isaac,  and  Asa,  and 
his  eldest  daniihter,  Anna,  who,  soon  after,  married  Simeon  Carpenter. 
For  some  time  she  was  the  only  young"  lady  in  town. 

Before  locating  in  town,  Mr.  Burton  had  purchased  two  one  hun- 
dred acre  lots  of  land,  which  embraced  the  greater  part  of  the  present 
Norwich  village,  and  built  his  dwelling-house  (the  first  one  erected  in 
townj  on  the  southern  and  eastern  i3art  of  his  purchase,  and  tradition 
has  it  that  it  was  built  directly  over  a  large  pine  stump,  which  x)ro- 
truded  through  the  floor,  and  its  top  having  been  smoothed  oft'  and 
recesses  made  in  its  sides  for  cupboards,  it  was  used  as  the  family 
ta])le. 

Elisha,  one  of  the  sons,  built  the  house  where  Samuel  A.  Ai-mstrong 
resides,  and  John,  another  son,  built  the  house  now  the  home  of  Thos, 
A.  Hazen. 

Mr.  Burton's  political  record  is  given  under  its  appropriate  head  in 
another  part  of  the  book. 

Of  Mr.  Burton  it  m.av  be  said  that  he  was  literal! v  and  trulv  one  of 
the  fathers  of  the  town. 


REVEREND  DOCTOR  ASA  BURTON 

Was  born  at  Stonington,  Conn.,  August  25,  1752,  and  was  the  sixth 
of  the  thirteen  children  of  Jacob  Burton.  His  parents  removed  to 
Preston,  Conn.,  when  he  was  about  one  year  old.  Here  his  childhood 
was  mostly  spent  under  the  ministry  of  Reverend  Doctor  Levi  Hart. 
In  his  fourteenth  vear  his  father  removed  to  Norwich.  From  that  time 
till  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  his  work  was  "to  fell  trees,  cut  them 
into  logs,  and  then  by  hand  roll  them  with  levers  into  heaps  to  burn 
them,  and  help  carry  logs  to  make  into  log  fences,  as  they  had  no  oxen 
for  two  or  three  years. ' ' 

By  these  severe  labors  his  health  was  much  impaired,  and  he  re- 
solved, if  possible,  to  get  an  education.  This  his  father  opposed  but 
his  mother  favored. 

Two  months  after  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  he  began  the  study 


1^0  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

of  Latin  and  on  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  was  admitted  to  Dart- 
mouth College. 

The  same  autumn  (1772)  a  malignant  fever  entered  his  father's 
family  and  his  mother,  a  brother,  and  two  sisters  died  within  a  few 
weeks.  His  father  was  so  much  embarrassed  by  the  expenses  of  this 
sickness  and  the  death  of  his  son,  whose  assistance  he  had  greatly  de- 
pended on,  that  he  thought  it  necesary  to  remove  Asa  from  college, 
and  visited  the  president  of  the  college  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
his  dismission.  After  a  long  interview  the  president  persuaded  the 
father  to  allow  him  to  continue  his  studies,  which  the  son  was  only 
too  happy  to  do. 

He  was  a  hard  student  in  College.  He  says  of  himself :  "  I  pursued 
my  studies  with  greediness  through  a  college  course.  I  was  always  in- 
clined to  go,  as  we  say,  to  the  bottom  of  everything.  Though  I  knew 
not  what  was  meant  by  iirst  principles  in  a  science,  yet  I  now  see  that 
it  was  my  desire  to  trace  everything  back  to  first  principles." 

At  college  he  excelled  in  mental  and  moral  philosophy,  and  especially 
in  English  composition. 

After  graduation  he  spent  a  few  months  in  the  study  of  theology 
with  Doctor  Hart  of  Preston,  Conn.,  and  preached  occasionally  in 
various  towns  in  Vermont  and  Connecticut  until  January,  1779,  when 
he  was  settled  over  the  church  in  Thetford,  Vt.,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

His  success  here  was  marked  in  building  up  from  what  he  regarded 
as  very  unpromising  material,  a  large  and  flourishing  church.  At  the 
time  of  his  ordination  the  church  numbered  only  sixteen  members,  and 
when  he  preached  his  half  century  sermon  in  1859,  four  hundred  and 
ninety  members  had  been  added  and  three  hundred  and  twenty  were 
still  members. 

His  ''Essays,"  published  in  1824,  had  a  slow  sale  and  their  publi- 
cation proved  a  pecuniary  loss  to  him. 

He  beo-an  taking  students  in  divinitv  into  his  familv  in  1796,  and 
continued  doing  so  until  1816.  During  this  period  he  had  constantly 
from  two  to  four  students  under  his  ehai'ge.  About  sixty  young  men 
were  prepared  for  the  ministry  under  his  instruction,  many  of  whom 
became  able  and  successful  ministers. 

Doctor  Burton  was  no  bookworm,  but  a  man  of  original  and  inde- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  I/I 

pendent  thon«iht.  His  library  was  of  modest  dimensions.  He  did  not 
seek  to  cram  the  minds  of  his  students  with  theologic  lore,  but  rather 
teach  them  to  think  and  reason  for  tliemselves. 

The  first  sermon  preached  by  Doctor  Burton  was  at  Norwich,  on  the 
subject,   "Justification   by  Faith." 

He  died  at  Thetford,  Vt.,  May  1,  1836. 


HONORABLE   DANIEL   BUCK 

Daniel  Buck  came  to  Norwich  in  1784  or  '85,  and  opened  the  first 
lawyer's  office  in  town — on  the  hill  near  the  old  center  meeting  house, 
then  just  being  completed — and  there  continued  to  live  and  transact 
business  for  twenty-five  years,  or  until  he  removed  to  Chelsea  in  1809. 
Norwich  then  contained  probably  aliout  one  thousand  inhabitants, 
but  no  village,  there  being  at  that  time  not  over  three  or  four  dwellings 
where  Norwich  village  now  stands. 

But  little  is  known  of  ]\Ir.  Buck  previous  to  his  coming  to  Norwich. 
He  was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  November  9,  1753,  and  was  the  second 
son  and  child  of  Thomas  and  Jane  Buck  of  that  town.  He  had  been 
a  soldier  in  the  Etvolution,  and  had  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington. He  had  also  lived  some  time  in  Thetford,  which  was  settled 
largely  by  people  from  Hebron,  and  perhaps  also  in  Hanover,  N.  H. 
He  acted  as  secretary  to  the  council  in  June,  1785,  when  the  A'ermont 
legislature  assembled  at  Norwich,  having  been  assistant  secretarv  of 
the  same  body  during  their  session  at  Rutland  the  preceding  October. 
He  seems  to  have  been  a  householder  at  Norwich  at  this  time,  as  by 
a  resolution  of  the  council  on  June  17,  the  treasurer  of  the  State  was 
directed  "to  pay  Daniel  Buck  twenty  shillings  hard  money  for  the  use 
of  his  house,  etc. ' ' 

For  several  years  the  young  attorney  does  not  appear  to  have  made 
much  headway  in  his  profession,  the  townspeople  sharing  in  the 
ancient  dislike  to  lawyers  so  prevalent  in  the  early  days  of  New  E^ng- 
land.  The  town  records  show  that  he  was  willing  to  make  hiinsilF 
useful  at  this  period  b\'  accepting  such  offices  as  highway  surveyor 
and  key  keeper  of  the  town  pound.  But  he  grew  steadily  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  townsmen,  and  was  soon  in  possession  of  a  lucrative 


1/2  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

practice.  His  first  important  public  service  was  to  represent  the  town 
in  the  convention  that  met  at  Bennington  in  January,  1791,  to  adopt 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  preliminary  to  the  admission  of 
Vermont  into  the  Federal  Union.  Here  Mr.  Buck  appears  as  the 
champion  and  principal  spokesman  of  that  portion  of  the  convention — 
a  decided  minority — who  believed  it  to  be  inexpedient,  for  the  present 
at  least,  for  Vermont  to  enter  into  a  union  with  the  original  thirteen 
states.  The  arguments  of  this  party  ajjpear,  at  this  distance  of  time, 
rather  puerile  and  provincial,  it  must  be  confessed,  though  their  ob- 
jections to  union  from  the  size  of  the  country  and  diversity  of  interests 
were  not  without  some  weight.  Mr.  Buck,  however,  with  most  of  the 
other  objectors,  finally  voted  in  favor  of  immediate  union,  which  was 
carried  in  the  convention  after  several  days'  discussion,  by  nearly  a 
unanimous  vote.* 

In  1793  and  '94,  the  town  sent  Mr.  Buck  to  the  legislature,  and  he 
was  each  year  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  In  1794,  he  was  elected 
to  represent  the  eastern  district  of  Vermont  in  the  fourth  Congress 
of  the  United  States,  which  assembled  at  Philadelphia  December  7, 
1795.  In  this  position  he  succeeded  Nathaniel  Niles  of  Fairlee,  who 
had  held  the  place  two  terms,  or  since  the  admission  of  the  State  into 
the  Union.  Mr.  Buck  served  but  one  term  in  Congress,  being  himself 
succeeded  by  Lewis  R.  Morris  of  Springfield,  (1797-1803).^  At  the 
September  election  in  1796,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  choice  for 
representative  to  Congress.  Mr.  Buck  was  candidate  for  re-election  at 
this  time,  and  received  every  vote  but  one  (sixty-four  out  of  sixty-five 
votes'*  cast  in  Norwich.  He  probably  received  a  minority  of  votes 
in  the  district,  as  at  a  second  election  held  May  22,  1797.  he  does  not 
appear  as  a  candidate,  Lewis  R.  IMorris  receiving"  twenty-two  votes 
in  Norwich  to  twenty  for  Scott  Hall  and  sixteen  scattering.  ^Ir. 
Buck  was  again  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1806  and  '07,  and  is 
said  to  have  rendered  valuable  services  to  the  town  on  these  occasions 

*It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  opposition  to  Vermont  joining  the  Union  in  1791 — 
so  far  as  appears  in  the  proceedings  of  the  convention  itself  —  was  entirely  confined  to  this 
section  of  the  state.  The  four  delegates  (out  of  a  total  of  109)  who  on  the  final  vote  with- 
held their  assent  to  the  measure,  were  all  from  Windsor  county,  being  Messrs.  Moses 
Warner  of  Andover,  Daniel  Heald  of  Chester,  Benjamin  Perkins  of  Bridgewater,  and 
Enoch  Emerson  of  Rochester.  See-  Goi'ernor  and  Council  Vol.  III.,  pp.  ^6'j-4^82.,  for  a 
brief  report  of  the  proceedings  and  debates  of  the  Convention, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  I73 

in  securing  certain  changes  in  the  location  of  the  turnpike  road  then 
recently  laid  from  Hanover  bridge  through  Norwich  to  Chelsea  court 
honse.  In  1809  ^Mi-.  Buck  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  legislature, 
hut  was  defeated  bv  Pierce  Burton  (Burton  ninety-six,  Buck  seventy- 
three,  scattering  thirteen).  Other  offices  held  by  him  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Norwich  were,  member  of  the  Council  of  Censors,  1792 ;  At- 
torney General  of  the  State,  1794;  State's  Attorney  of  Windsor 
County,  1802  and  1803, — Dartmouth  College  gave  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  A.  M.  in  1799. 

Mr.  Buck  took  high  rank  as  a  lawyer,  and  as  an  advocate  was  often 
pitted  against  the  best  legal  talent  of  his  time  in  the  Vermont  courts. 
He  acted  as  counsel  for  Ira  Allen  in  1792,  in  an  investigation  ordered 
by  the  legislature  into  his  accounts  and  official  conduct  as  treasurer 
and  surveyor  ueneral  of  the  State.  John  A.  Graham,  in  his  "De- 
scriptive  Sketch  of  Vermont,"  published  in  1797,  speaks  of  him  as 
possessing  legal  abilities  of  a  high  order.  During  his  residence  in 
Norwich  the  following  well-known  gentlemen,  among  others,  were  law- 
students  in  his  office :  Ebenezar  Brown,  Aaron  Loveland,  William 
Baxter  of  Brownington,  and  Hon.  William  A.  Palmer  of  Danville. 
The  present  aspect  and  suroundings  of  the  place  where  these  young 
men  imbibed  the  first  principles  of  the  law,  would  now  be  thought 
fully  as  extraordinary  for  the  location  of  a  law  school,  as  Rev.  Dr. 
Asa  Burton's  old  parsonage  in  Thetford  would  be  as  the  site  for  a 
theological  seminary. 

The  fourth  Congress  met  at  Philadelphia,  December  7,  1795,  and 
Mr.  Buck  made  the  journey  to  the  capital  on  horseback  from  his 
Vermont  home.  The  story  is  still  current  among  the  older  people  of 
the  town,  that  on  the  day  of  his  departure  for  that  distant  city — 
more  distant  in  point  of  time  and  fatigue  to  the  traveller  than  the 
trip  to  San  Francisco  is  now — the  inhabitants  of  Norwich  in  large 
numbers  assembled  and  accompanied  him  on  his  way  as  far  as  the 
Hartford  town  line,  where  they  wished  their  honored  townsman  a 
prosperous  journey,  and  bade  him  farewell  with  manifestations  of 
feeling  not  unlike  those  now  attending  the  departure  of  friends  on 
an  extended  journey  in  foreign  lands.  As  to  his  services  in  Con- 
gress, but  little  can  here  be  said.  He  seems  to  have  participated 
considerably  in  the  current  debates,  among  the  most  exciting  of  which 


1^4  History  of  Norwich 

was  that  relating  to  Jay's  treaty  with  Great  Britain.  Mr.  Buck 
strongly  favored  the  treaty.  He  spoke  against  a  resolution  of  in- 
(juiry  calling  on  the  president  to  furnish  the  house  a  copy  of  the  in- 
structions to  Mr.  Jay,  under  which  the  treaty  was  negotiated,  with 
correspondence  and  documents.  He  was  opposed,  it  appears,  to  dis- 
cussing the  constitutionality  of  the  treaty  or  to  the  legislative  de- 
partment assuming  an  attitude  of  hostility  to  the  executive.  He 
supported  a  bill  providing  for  an  increase  of  compensation  to  public 
officers  and  stated,  incidentally,  that  he  had  diminished  his  income 
$1,000  a  year  while  serving  as  a  representative.  In  this  connection 
he  alluded  to  havins:  "shed  his  blood"  for  his  countrv  and  to  his 
"mutilated  frame."* 

He  favored  direct  taxation  by  Congress,  voting  for  a  tax  on  land 
and  its  improvements,  and  also  for  increasing  the  duties  on  foreign 
goods.  His  votes  and  speeches  show  him  to  have  been  a  high  Fed- 
eralist in  politics. 

Mr.  Buck  was  at  one  time  quite  an  extensive  owner  of  landed  piop- 
erty  in  town.  The  house  built  by  him  and  used  as  a  residence  was 
taken  down  a  few  years  since  and  was  last  occupied  by  Henry  Goddard. 
The  large  orchard  a  short  distance  east  of  the  house  and  adjoining 
the  highway  was  planted  by  him,  and  is  still  familiarly  known  as  the 
' '  Buck  orchard. ' ' 

In  his  later  years  he  seems  to  have  become  embarrassed  in  his  pe- 
cuniary circumstances,  and  he  finally  died  poor.  A  fatal  habit  of 
intemperance  hastened  his  downfall  and  probably  brought  him  to  a 
premature  grave.  The  occasion  of  his  removal  to  Chelsea  in  1809  has 
been  variously  related.  C.  W.  Clark,  Esq.,  the  historian  of  that 
town,  says  that  Mr.  Buck  was  committed  to  Chealsea  jail  for  debt, 
and  obtaining  the  freedom  of  the  prison  (jail  limits)  took  up  his 
residence  there  and  remained  until  his  death,  practising  his  pro- 
fession for  the'  most  part  until  that  event.  Another  informant 
gives   a   somewhat   ditferent   account.     He  says  that  Mr.   Buck  sold 

*As  early  as  1787,  Mr.  Buck  had  petitioned  the  legislature  of  Vermont  for  a  pension 
of  ^5  per  month,  "  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  his  arm  in  the  battle  near  Bennington, 
August  16,  1777."  In  the  year  1807,  Mr.  Buck  was  a  petitioner  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  for  an  increase  of  pension,  alleging  that  the  pension  he  was  receiving  as  an 
invalid  was  insufficient.  He  stated  in  his  petition  that  he  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  in  1775  and  '76,  and  was  wounded  at  Bennington  in  1777. 


Biographical  .175 

his  farm  in  >s^orwich  and  borrowed  money  extensively  there,  and 
then  I'emoved  to  Chelsea  and  there  built  a  house  with  the  borrowed 
money;  soon  he  made  ovei'  his  property  to  his  son,  D.  Azro  A.  Buck, 
was  discovered  by  his  Norwich  creditors  to  be  insolvent,  and  was  im- 
prisoned in  jail :  his  son  became  his  bondsman,  and  he  was  .liiven  the 
freedom  of  the  jail  limits,  and  died  in  that  condition;  that  he  prac- 
tised his  profession  but  little  after  removinfj-  to  Chelsea,  and  was  de- 
ranged durinii'  his  last  years.  The  house  that  he  built  in  Chelsea  is 
still  standing',  and  is  one  of  the  old  substantial  houses  of  the  village. 

^Ir.  Buck  was  married  to  Content  Ashley,  of  a  respectable  fajiiily 
of  Norwich,  September  22,  1786.  Of  this  union  eleven  children  were 
born  previous  to  1809,  of  whom  seven  (four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters) were  then  living.  The  graves  of  the  other  four  may  be  found 
in  the  old  graveyard  close  by  the  family  home.  ]\Ir.  Buck  himself 
died  at  Chelsea  August  16,  1816.  His  remains  sleep  in  the  village 
cemetery  there,  marked  only  by  a  plain  slab,  giving  simply  name, 
age,  and  date.     His  age  was  sixty-two  years. 


HONORABLE   D.   A.   A.   BUCK 

Daniel  Azro  Ashlev  Buck,  the  eldest  son  of  Honorable  Daniel  and 
Content  (Ashley)  Buck,  was  born  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  April  19,  1789. 
He  received  a  collegiate  education,  graduating  at  Middlebury  in 
1807,  in  the  same  class  with  William  Slade  and  Stephen  Royce,  a 
class  which  is  said  to  have  contained  more  eminent  men  in  propor- 
tion to  its  numbers  than  can  be  matched  in  the  record  of  any  xVmeri- 
can  college. 

The  following  year  he  graduated  from  AYest  Point  Military 
Academy,  and  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  of  engineers,  to  date 
from  January  25,  1808.  Oliver  G.  Burton,  a  native  of  Norwich  but 
at  that  time  a  resident  of  Irasburg,  was  also  a  graduate  from  West 
Point  of  the  same  vear. 

D.  A.  A.  Buck  served  on  the  northern  frontier  during  the  second 
war  with  England.  He  was  commissioned  a  captain  in  the  Thirty- 
first  Regiment  of  United  States  Infantry,  an  organization  composed 


176  HJSTORY    OF    NORWICH 

wholly  of  Vermonters,  April  30,  1813,  raised  for  one  year's  service. 
Ethan  Biirnap  of  Norwich  was  captain  of  a  company  of  the  Thirty- 
first  and  his  brother,  Calvin  Burnap,  lieutenant.  At  other  times 
during  the  war,  Mr.  Buck  served  as  an  officer  of  artillery,  and  in 
November,  1812,  was  appointed  major  in  a  volunteer  corps  by  the 
Vermont  legislature,  though  it  is  doubtful  if  he  ever  accepted  this 
appointment. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  left  the  military  profession,  studied 
law  with  his  father  at  Chelsea,  Vt.,  and  for  the  ensuing  twenty  years 
was  a  prominent  figure  in  public  affairs  in  Vermont.  Durins"  this 
period  he  represented  Chelsea  fourteen  years  in  the  state  legislature, 
five  years  of  which  he  served  as  speaker  of  the  house.  He  twice 
resigned  his  position  as  speaker  to  accept  an  election  to  the  national 
legislature,  in  Avhich  he  represented  Vermont  in  the  Eighteenth  and 
Twentieth  Congresses  (1823-25  and  1827-29).  He  is  said  to  have 
been  one  of  the  best  presiding  officers  that  ever  sat  in  the  chair  of  the 
Vermont  assembly.  Out  of  twenty-one  consecutive  years  following 
1815  there  were  but  two  (1830-31)  in  which  he  was  not  a  member 
of  some  legislative  body.  He  was  also,  during  this  time,  state's  at- 
torney of  Orange  County  five  years,  presidential  elector  in  1820,  a 
general  in  the  militia,  and  a  high  official  in  the  Masonic  order  in  the 
state.  In  1836,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Washington,  and  ac- 
cepted an  appointment  as  clerk  in  the  Indian  bureau  of  the  War  de- 
partment, in  which  city  he  died  December  22,  1841. 

Daniel  A.  A.  Buck  is  remembered  as  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school, 
of  graceful  and  easy  manners,  popular  address  and  a  fluent  speaker. 
He  probably  was  less  eminent  as  a  laAvyer  than  his  father  and  as  a 
congressman  relatively  less  prominent.  He  served  in  the  Eighteenth 
Congress  on  the  committee  for  public  expenditures,  and  in  the  Twen- 
tieth on  that  of  military  affairs.  He  made  a  speech  in  the  house  ii 
favor  of  abolishino-  the  office  of  maior-seneral  of  the  armv,  and 
against  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of  Visitors  to  West  Point,  and 
detailing  the  history  of  that  institution.  It  would  seem  as  if  his  mili- 
tary training  and  experience  had  not  impressed  him  favorably  to- 
wards the  academy  or  its  management.  On  the  election  of  President 
by  the  house  of  representatives,  in  1825,  he  voted  with  the  Vermont 
delegation   in   giving  the  vote  of  the  state  to  John   Qiiincy  Adams. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  177 

Like  his  father,  he  was  a  Federalist  in  politics,  and  favored  pro- 
tective duties,  votino-  for  the  taritf  of  1828,  althoutih  takin<r  no  i)art 
ill  the  debates  over  that  measure  in  the  house.  Like  his  father,  too, 
he  was  addicted  to  strong'  drink,  became  dissipated  in  later  life,  and 
finally  filled  a  drunkard's  iirave.  Although  hardly  come  to  middle 
age  and  the  time  at  which  most  men  reach  the  maturity  of  their 
powers,  he  had  doubtless  seen  the  height  of  his  influence  and  repu- 
tation some  time  before  his  removal  to  A¥ashington  in  1836.  AVlien 
]\Ir.  Buck  first  went  to  Congress  in  1824,  his  college  classmate  at 
Middleburv,  William  Slade,  was  serving  as  cleric  in  the  State  de- 
partment  at  AVashington.  Soon  after  the  expiration  of  Air.  Buck's 
congressional  life,  Mr.  Slade  began  (in  1831)  a  period  of  twelve 
years'  continuous  service  in  the  same  body.  In  183(3,  therefore, 
the  respective  positions  of  the  two  men  were  exactly  reversed,  Air. 
Buck  being  at  that  time  a  government  clerk — a  position  he  soon 
lost  because  of  incorrigible  intemperance — while  Slade  was  just  be- 
ginning a  course  of  wide  and  honorable  public  service  to  state  and 
country,  continuing  thenceforward  for  a  full  quarter  of  a  century. 

In  sketchins'  thus  brieflv  the  career  of  these  two  men,  the  elder 
and  the  younger  Buck,  one  cannot  fail  to  note  the  sad  commentary 
furnished  in  their  lives  on  the  strength  of  the  passion  for  drink 
to  wreck  the  prospects  and  blast  the  happiness  of  the  strongest  minds. 
The  father,  imprisoned  for  debt,  dies  in  poverty  and  disgrace  upon 
the  jail  limits  of  Orange  County.  The  son,  expelled  for  drunkenness 
from  a  petty  government  office,  is  supported  by  his  faithful  wife  in 
his  last  years,  by  keeping  boarders  at  the  capital  of  the  nation,  where 
both  himself  and  father  had  for  many  years  represented  Vermont  in 
the  halls  of  Congress.  A^ermont,  that  loved  to  honor  them  in  their 
younger  and  better  days,  will  yet  drop  a  teai*  of  sorrow  over  their 
untimely  and  dishonored  graves.* 

Of  the  large  family  of  children  born  to  Daniel  Buck  in  Norwich, 
nothing  further  is  known.    So  far  as  ascertained,  none  of  his  descend- 

*D.  A.  A.  Buck  was  buried  in  the  Congressional  burying  ground  at  Washington,  the 
Vermont  delegation  in  a  body  attending  his  remains  to  the  grave.  By  the  influence  of  the 
Vermont  delegation  in  Congress,  he  was  more  than  once  restored  to  his  clerkship,  after 
dismissal  on  account  of  his  intemperate  habits,  on  his  solemn  promise  to  reform.  [So 
wrote  Honorable  Hiland  Hall  in  P'ebruary,  1885,  almost  ninety  years  old,  and  member  of 
Congress  from  Vermont  1833-1843]. 


1^8  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

ants  have  remained  in  the  vicinity  as  permanent  residents.  Fonr  chil- 
dren at  least,  we  are  told,  of  D.  A.  A.  Buck  survived  him  at  Washing- 
ton, two  sons  and  two  daughters.  One  of  the  sons,  of  brilliant  promise, 
died  while  comparatively  a  young  man.  The  second,  Daniel  by  name, 
was  many  years  a  clerk  there,  where  he  was  remarkably  efficient  and 
useful  to  congressional  committees  as  he  was  able  to  find  readily  any- 
thing' wanted  belonging  to  the  library  or  archives  of  Congress.  For  his 
valuable  services  in  this  direction  he  was  kept  in  office  by  the  Vermont 
delegation  when  he  would  otherwise  have  lost  his  place;  for  he,  too, 
inherited  or  possessed  the  fatal  family  appetite  for  spirituous  liquors. 
He  lived  for  many  years  with  a  maiden  sister  in  Washington,  but  both 
are  now  deceased.  The  other  sister,  married  and  residing  somewhere  in 
the  West,  is  supposed  to  be  still  living. 


THE  BUSH  FAMILY 

Captain  Timothy  Bush,  the  progenitor  of  this  family  in  town,  came 
to  Norwich  in  the  early  days  of  its  settlement  (from  what  place  is  not 
known).  He  married  Deborah  House,  and  they  had  ten  children  (five 
of  whom  were  born  in  Norwich),  viz.,  John,  Barzilla,  Timothy,  Fair- 
banks, Alexander,  Bela,  Harry,  Nathaniel,  Mary,  who  married  Na- 
thaniel Seaver,  and  Lavina,  who  married  Doctor  Hamilton  of  Lyme, 
N.  H. 

Captain  Bush  appears  as  a  voter  in  town  in  1772,  and  March  9,  1799, 
he  was  chosen  one  of  the  board  of  five  selectmen.  He  was  prominent 
in  town  aff^airs  till  about  the  time  he  removed  to  the  State  of  New 
York  (about  1809),  where,  it  is  reported,  he  died  in  1815.  It  is  cur- 
rent with  some  persons  that  he  ended  his  days  here  in  Norwich  and  that 
he  was  buried  in  the  old  graveyard  near  the  mouth  of  Pompanoosuc 
river,  but  no  gravestone  can  be  found  to  indicate  his  burial  there. 

When  Captain  Bush  located  in  Norwich  it  was  in  the  Pompanoosuc 
section  of  the  town,  where  he  became  an  extensive  landowner. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Orange,  Vt., 
chartered  by  the  state  in  August,  1781.  His  son,  John,  Avith  Paul 
Brigham,  Nathaniel  Seaver,  John  Ilibbard,  Elihu  White,  and  John 
White,  were  other  Norwich  men  who  were  proprietors  of  that  town, 


BiOGRAl'HICAL  I7Q 

and  liis  sons,  Fairbanks  and  Timothy,  Jr.,  were  among'  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  place,  the  former  being-  elected  selectman  and  also  lister  on 
the  first  organization  of  the  town,  March  9,  1796. 

What  follows  will  show  how  Captain  Bnsh  served  his  state  \n  a 
military  capacity.  We  are  allowed  to  copy  from  a  private  lettei*  the 
following  information  which  the  writer  obtained  from  the  Adjutant 
General's  office  at  Montpelier,  Vt. : 

"From  a  pay-roll  of  Captain  Timothy  Bnsh's  company  in  Colonel 
Joseph  i\Iarsh's  regiment,  it  appears  that  Timothy  Bnsh  served  as  a 
captain  one  month  and  twenty  days  from  Angust  16,  1777,  and  re- 
ceived £5-1-8. 

"Also,  we  find  that  Timothy  Bush  served  as  a  oaptain  four  days  in 
1777  to  assist  the  Strafford  people  in  their  retreat,  and  received  £2-r)-v0. 

"And  under  the  direction  of  Major  Whitcomb,  January  21,  1780, 
it  appears  that  Timothy  Bush  served  as  captain  one  month  and  twenty- 
five  davs,  and  received  £15-6-8. 

"Also  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Peter  Olcott  at  the  time  the 
enemy  came  to  Royalton,  October  16,  1780,  Captain  Timothy  Bush 
served  three  days,  and  received  £1-9-4. 

"And  from  a  paj^-roll,  Captain  Timothy  Bush's  Company  of  Militia, 
employed  in  guarding  and  scouting  at  Strafford  at  the  time  of  the 
alarm  at  Newbury,  under  Colonel  Olcott,  served  seven  days,  and  re- 
ceived £2-1-4. 

And  Timothy  Bush  served  one  day  in  1781,  and  received  £0-8-8." 


i  i 


FAIRBANKS  BUSH 

It  is  probable  that  this  son  of  Captain  Timothy  Bush  came  to  Nor- 
wich with  his  father  when  the  latter  settled  in  town.  His  place  of 
birth  is  not  known  to  us.  He  first  appears  as  a  voter  in  town  in  1807. 
He  married  Amv  Yeomans. 

ft. 

Previous  to  1796  he  removed  to  Orange,  Vt.,  but  later  returned  to 
Norwich,  where  he  died  February  24,  1873,  lacking  but  twelve  hours 
of  ha^ang:  rounded  out  a  life  period  of  one  hundred  years. 

Fairbanks  Bush  was  Norwich's  minstrel  poet.  AVe  are  told  that  the 
spirit  of  our  modern  age  is  unfavorable  to  poetry.     However  that  may 


l80  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

be,  the  poetical  temperament  and  endowment  are  still  found  among 
pien — the  poet  is  still  born  in  the  world. 

Among  our  own  townsmen,  Mr.  Bush  was  endowed  in  some  degree 
with  the  poetic  gift.  As  being  a  natural  musician  also,  his  poetry  for 
the  most  part  took  a  lyrical  shape,  which  is  everywhere  the  earliest  and 
simplest  artificial  form  of  poetical  composition.  ' '  Lyric  poetry  is  made 
to  be  sung,  and  is  song  in  its  nature  and  essence."  Mr.  Bush  was 
accustomed  to  sing  his  own  verses  very  often  from  memory.  Many 
that  he  composed  and  sung  were  never  committed  to  writing,  and  con- 
sequently have  been  lost  beyond  recall.  AVe  give  in  the  latter  part  of 
this  book  a  few  specimens  of  the  style  and  scope  of  his  verse. 

As  has  so  often  Tdccu  the  case  with  the  noble  fraternity  of  the  poets, 
fortune  did  not  always  smile  upon  the  lot  of  Mr.  Bush.  Perhaps  he 
had  not  worldlv  thrift ;  clearlv  his  affairs  were  often  involved  in  diffi- 
culty.  The  insatiate  creditor,  with  his  ally  the  sheriff,  dogged  his 
footsteps ;  evidences  of  which  the  reader  will  find  in  his  verses.  But 
though  poverty  may  have  clouded  his  life,  there  is  no  proof  that  his 
temper  was  soured  or  ever  gave  way  to  misanthropy.  His  pent  up 
feelings  found  relief  in  song.  He  once  wrote  a  cutting  lampoon  upon 
a  Hartford  lawyer  who  had  sued  him  out  of  town.  It  happened  that 
the  attorney  fell  sick,  and  soon  after  died,  from  which  the  saying  arose 
that  he  died  of  vexation — the  effect  of  Bush's  poem. 

In  his  personal  conduct  he  was  exemplary.  He  was  among  the 
earliest  of  his  townsmen  to  denounce  the  'crime  of  slavery.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  the  author  of  "Norwich  Wears  the  Bell"  had 
thought  and  felt  deeply  concerning  the  falling  off  in  the  standing  and 
repute  of  the  town  from  the  standard  that  prevailed  in  its  early  days. 
The  movement  of  the  verse  is  sprightly,  but  the  undertone  is  sad.  The 
innovations  which  he  sees  creeping  into  Norwich  society  are  not  cre- 
atures of  his  imagination,  but  public  scandals,  deserving  the  reproba- 
tion of  all  good  men. 


PROF.  GEORGE  BUSH 

George  Bush,  one  of  the  most  eminent  Biblical  scholars  and  Ori- 
entalists of  his  time  in  America,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Vt.,  June  12, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  l8l 

1796,  a  son  of  John  and  Abi^ial  (  Marvin)  Bnsh,  and  t.randson  of  Capt. 
Timothy  Bush. 

The  boyhood  of  Oeorpe  Bnsh  was  mostly  passed  in  Hanover,  X.  II., 
whither  his  father  removed  when  he  was  quite  youn^^.  The  son  gave 
early  indications  of  superior  intelligence.  His  eldest  sister  says  ''he 
had  a  ravishing-  love  of  books  from  her  first  remembrance  of  him." 
He  frequented  the  College  library  at  Hanover  and  would  bring  home 
ponderous  volumes — almost  as  large  as  he  could  carry.  Old  residents 
remember  him  riding  to  mill  on  horseback  with  his  face  hidden  in  the 
pages  of  an  open  book  that  he  held  before  him.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  entered  Dartmouth  College,  graduating  in  ISl.S  with  the  valedictory 
and  the  highest  honors  of  his  class,  which  was  of  more  than  average 
ability,  containing  among  others  such  scholars  as  Professor  William 
Chamberlain  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  the  late  Professor  Thomas  C. 
Upham  of  Bowdoin  College.  During  a  part  of  his  college  course,  ]\Ir. 
Bush  was  a  private  tutor  in  the  family  of  Honorable  Mills  Olcott,  and 
there  probably  was  formed  an  intimate  friendship  between  himself 
and  Rufus  Choate  of  the  class  of  1819.  The  two  voung  men  chummed 
together  during  the  college  course,  and  Mr.  Choate  ever  after  kept  a 
high  regard  for  and  estimate  of  his  college  friend.  After  teaching  one 
year  in  the  Orange  County  Grammar  School  at  Randolph,  Vt.,  Mr. 
Bush  commenced  the  study  of  theology  at  Princeton  Seminary,  where 
he  graduated  in  1821,  in  the  same  class  with.  Albert  Barnes.  He  re- 
sided one  or  two  years  afterwards  at  Princeton  as  tutor  in  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  preaching  occasionally  in  various  places  in  the  vicinity, 
anfl  in  1824  went  west  on  a  missionary  trip,  which  resulted  in  his  set- 
tlement the  following  year  over  a  Presbyterian  Church  in  Indianapolis, 
Ind.,  where  he  remained  three  or  four  years. 

In  1823,  he  married  a  daughter  of  Honorable  Louis  Condict  of 
Morristown,  New  Jersey,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-nine  years — Mrs.  Bush  dying  in  1828  or  9,  and  diffi- 
culties with  the  Presbytery  having  arisen  as  to  the  soundness  of  the 
young;  preacher's  views  in  regard  to  the  Presbyterian  form  of  church 
government,  the  pastoral  relations  with  the  church  were  dissolved  and 
Mr.  Bush  returned  to  the  East  and  soon  after  established  himself  in 
Xew  York  Citv,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  twentv  vears  de- 
voting  himself  to  authorship,  lecturing,  and  scholarly  pursuits. 


l82  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

In  1831,  Mr.  Bush  was  made  Professor  of  Hebrew  and  Oriental  Lit- 
erature in  the  University  of  New  York,  and  the  next  year  he  published 
"The  Life  of  Mahomet,"  his  first  book,  it  being  Volume  X  of  Har- 
per's Family  Library.  In  1833,  the  "Treatise  on  the  Millennium" 
appeared,  and  in  1835  his  ' '  Hebrew  Grammar. ' '  His  ' '  Commentaries 
on  the  Old  Testament,"  which  went  through  many  editions,  were 
brought  out  in  1840.  ' '  The  Doctrine  of  the  Resurrection ' '  followed  in 
1845.  "Mesnier  and  Swedenborg"  in  1847.  His  last  book,  "Priest- 
hood and  Clergy  L^nknown  to  Christianity,"  the  most  radical  and  un- 
popular of  all  his  works,  was  published  in  1857.  Several  minor  pub- 
lications of  transient  interest  also  followed  at  various  times,  and  he 
was  always  a  frequent  contributor  to  periodicals  and  newspapers.  The 
substance  of  several  of  his  books  was  first  given  in  the  form  of  lectures 
in  several  cities  and  towns  in  New  York  and  New  England. 

For  several  years  prior  to  1845,  Professor  Bush  had  been  slowly 
drifting  awav  from  the  orthodox  theoloav  in  which  he  had  been  edu- 
cated,  and  eventually  embraced  the  doctrines  of  Swedenborg.  From 
the  time  of  his  adhesion  to  the  Swedenborgian  or  New  Church,  his  old 
friends  and  associates  in  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational 
Churches,  with  few  exceptions,  immediately  gave  him  the  cold  shoulder. 
One  of  the  exceptions  was  Rev.  Asa  D.  Smith,  then  pastor  of  a  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Brooklvn,  N.  Y.,  and  for  manv  vears  after  President 
of  Dartmouth  College. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  feel  great  respect  for  Professor  Bush — both 
for  his  head  and  his  heart,  for  his  intellect  and  great  learning,  and  for 
his  character  and  life. 

He  died  September  19,  1859. 


PAUL  BRIGHAM 

Hon.  Paul  Brigham,  son  of  Paul  and  Catharine  (Turner)  Brigham, 
born  in  Coventry,  Conn.,  January  17,  1746 ;  married,  October  3,  1767, 
Lydia  Sawyer,  of  Hebron,  Conn. ;  came  to  Norwich  from  Coventry, 
in  the  spring  of  1782,  bringing  his  family  with  him,  all  of  his  children 
having  been  born  in  Connecticut.     In  1788,  he  built  the  house  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL  183 

''Brio-ham  Hill,"  for  many  years  occupied  by  his  great-granddaughter, 
the  late  Miss  Louisa  D.  Brigha.r..  .The  farm  had  been  previously  owned 
and  occupied  by  Elihu  Baxter. 

In  what  esteem  jMr.  Brigham  was  held  by  the  people  of  his  adopted 
state  and  town,  is  shown  under  appropriate  heads  in  other  places  in 
this  volume. 

Captain    Paul    Brigham    in    the    Revolutionary    Army,    June — 

August  1777. 

Mr.  Brigham  served  four  years  as  Captain  in  the  Continental  Army 
in  a  Connecticut  regiment  commanded,  first,  by  Colonel  Chandler  and 
afterwards  bv  Colonel  Isaac  Sherman.  He  entered  the  Armv  Jan- 
uary  1,  1777,  and  was  discharged  April  22,  1781.  A  portion  of  the 
time  he  served  under  the  immediate  command  of  Washington,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  important  battles  of  Germantown,  ]\Ionmouth,  and 
Fort  Mifflin.  He  was  enlisted  by  General  McDougal  from  Coventry, 
Conn.,  and  his  regiment  seems  to  have  been  largely  composed  of  men 
from  that  section  of  the  State. 

AYe  have  been  privileged  to  read  a  fragment  of  a  diary  kept  by  Cap- 
tain Brigham  during  a  part  of  his  army  service  above  the  "High- 
lands,"  which  does  not  cover  the  time  when  any  of  the  above  named 
battles  were  fought  (at  that  time  the  portion  of  the  army  to  which  he 
was  attached  was  serving  on  the  Hudson  River),  and  is  made  up  of 
brief  mention  of  incidents  of  camp  life,  regimental  and  brigade  drills, 
marchings  and  counter-marchings  along  the  banks  of  the  lower  Hudson 
River  near  the  Highlands  where  the  portion  of  the  American  Army  to 
which  he  was  attached  v.as  doing  guard  dut}^  their  immediate  object 
being  to  prevent  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  British  commander  in  New^ 
York,  from  uniting  with  General  Burgoyne  at  that  time  moving  south- 
ward from  Ticonderoga.  This  record  shows  Captain  Brigham  to  be  a 
good  soldier  and  a  true  patriot,  zealous  for  his  country's  cause  and  ever 
interested  in  promoting  the  health  and  well-being  of  the  men  of  his 
command.  Officers  who  were  in  the  late  war  will  not  fail  to  note  some 
things  that  wall  remind  them  of  their  own  experience  of  camp  life 
eighty  years  later.     The  record  opens  abruptly : 

Paul  Brigham,  Sr.,  was  married  to  Catharine  Turner  July  i,  1741.     He  died  May  3, 
1746,  aged  twenty-eight  years.     His  father  died  when  the  son  was  but  a  few  months  old. 


184  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

"June  23^,  1777.  Struck  tents  about  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  be^au 
our  march  back  again  for  Peekskill.  Marched  back  as  far  as  the  church 
and  encamped. 

"June  24.  Colonel  Courtland  had  two  men  whipped  100  stripes  for 
stealing,  each  one  of  which  was  drummed  out  of  camp. 

"June  25.  Began  our  march  for  the  river.  I  was  so  much  unwell 
that  I  got  a  horse  and  rode  on  before  the  Brigade.  Had  a  sick  day, 
but  by  night  the  brigade  came  to  the  ferry,  where  we  encamped  that 
night. 

"June  26*^.  Crossed  the  [Hudson]  river.  The  Brigade  marched  to 
the  Grand  Parade  and  stayed  that  night,  bat  I  stayed  behind  with 
Captain  Mattocks  at  the  landing. 

"On  the  27^^  the  brigade  marched  and  encamped  on  a  high  hill  one 
mile  above  Captain  Drake's  battery.  I  remained  so  much  unwell 
that  I  got  liberty  to  go  one  mile  out  of  Camp  to  Mr.  Graylocks',  where 
I  stayed  7  or  8  days.    Mr.  Sill  stayed  with  me. 

"July  4^^.  I  went  into  camp  and  found  we  had  orders  to  be  nuis- 
tered. 

"On  the  o^^  I  went  after  the  Judge  Advocate  to  come  and  swear  a 
number  of  men  that  had  not  taken  the  oath.  Lt.  Brigham  arrived 
with  some  men  that  belonged  to  my  company. 

"July  9^^.  This  day  heard  that  the  enemy  had  got  possesion  of  Ti- 
conderoga.  Last  night  being  dark  and  rainy,  2  prisoners  made  their 
escape  from  the  Provost  Guard  where  Captain  Mattocks  had  com- 
mand. 

"12<^^.  To  our  grief  the  bad  news  of  our  defeat  at  the  Northwest 
was  confirmed.     This  day  Col.  Chandler  joined  the  regt. 

"Sunday,  13^^^  News  came  that  our  arm^y  was  retreated  to  Fort 
Edward  without  a  tent  to  cover  them. 

"14th.  I  went  down  as  far  as  Peekskill,  and  when  I  returned  I 
learned  that  Paul  Haradon  was  dead.  He  was  the  second  man  that 
I  have  lost  out  of  my  Company. 

"15^^^.  This  day  Eng"  House  came  to  see  me  and  informed  me  that 
my  family  were  well.  Had  intelligence  that  Gen.  Washington  was  at 
Pumpton  with  a  considerable  part  of  his  Army. 

16^h  This  day  the  Regt.  exercised,  and  as  Capt.  JMansfield's  Com- 
pany was  exercising,  one  of  their  field  pieces  accidentally  [exploded] . 


BIOGRAPHICAL  185 

The  fire  caught  one  man's  powder  box  niul  blew  him  up  and  burnt  him 
very  iruich. 

"July  17^'\  I  saw  at  guard  mounting  a  negro  whipped  100  stripes 
for  aiding  and  assisting  the  enemy — in  driving  off  cattle  to  them.  Like- 
wise heard  that  our  troops  at  Fort  Stanwix  had  taken  a  great  number 
of  prisoners.  In  the  p.  m.,  went  on  the  Grand  Parade  and  saw  Cols. 
Wy lye's  and  Demming's  Regts.  manoeuvre. 

''18^^\  On  the  Grand  Parade  I  saw  3  men  whipped  each  a  hundred 
hishes  for  desertion.  In  the  p.  m.,  the  Regt.  was  reviewed  by  Gen. 
McDougal  and  I  thought  made  a  very  good  appearance. 

"19^'\  This  morning  I  went  down  to  Gen.  Varnum's  headquarters, 
to  carry  a  repoi't  to  ^laj.  Hoyt.  In  the  evening  I  was  warned  on 
guard. 

"20*^^^  I  went  on  Grand  Parade  and  from  thence  with  my  guard 
to  the  church  near  King's  Ferry,  where  I  relieved  Maj.  Johnston. 
This  day  Lord  Sterling's  Division  crossed  the  river  and  went  up  to- 
wards Peekskill. 

"21^t      After  I  was  relieved  I  marched  home.     Rec'd  a  letter  from 
my  family  informing  me  they  were  all  well.     Gen.  Sullivan's  Division 
crossed  the  river  this  evening  and  encamped  on  the  Grand  Parade. 
23*^.    Lord  Sterling  had  a  man  hanged  as  a  spy  at  Peekskill  Lanel- 


i  i 


mg. 


"25^^.  Visited  the  sick  in  the  hospital  and  the  prisoners  in  the 
Provost  Guarel. 

"27^'\     Last  night  Sam'  Allen  of  my  Company  died. 

"28^'\  News  from  New^  York  that  the  enemy  had  gone  from  there 
on  some  expedition. 

"30*'^  Had  Paul  Haradon's  clothing  appraised  and  delivered  to 
his  brother,  David  H.  Had  orders  to  be  ready  to  cross  the  river  next 
day.    Rec'd  some  shirts  for  my  Company. 

"31^t      Sent  our  baggage  across  the  river.     Rec'd  some  wages. 

"Aug.  1^^     Capt.  Hide  and  Lt.  Adams  were  discharged  the  service. 

"Aug.  2^1  Sent  our  sick  to  the  hospital  and  prepared  to  march. 
Toward  night  we  marched  as  far  as  Verplanks  and  pitched  our  tents 
verv  late  in  the  evening. 

"Aug.  3^.  Got  ready  as  soon  as  possible  and  crossed  the  river, 
.^[arched  about  4  miles  but  the  rain  stopped  our  further  march. 


l86  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

"On  the  4*^  had  counter  orders  and  began  our  march  back — crossed 
the  river  again.  A  flag  of  truce  from  New  York  arrived  as  our  troops 
were  crossing,  to  obtain  a  pardon  for  Edward  Palmer,  who  was  to  be 
executed  this  day.  Eeturned  back  and  encamped  on  our  old  ground. 
I  went  up  to  the  hospital  to  visit  the  sick — had  a  wet  night. 

Aug.  5^^.  I  went  back  to  Verplanks  to  see  liow  Joseph  Kingsbury 
did,  as  he  was  left  behind.     Found  he  Avas  a  little  better. 

"Aug.  6t^\  The  camp  was  visited  this  morning  by  Gen.  McDougal. 
About  11  o'clock  I  went  with  a  number  of  our  officers  to  a  fine  din- 
ner at  Capt.  Hart's.  Eeturned  at  evening.  The  officers  were  re- 
quested to  send  their  pretensions  for  rank. 

"Aug.  7*^.    Visited  the  sick  in  the  hospital. 

"Aug.  8*^.  The  whole  Armv  went  to  Gallows  Hill  to  the  execution 
of  Edward  Palmer.     The  militia  came  in  to  join  the  army  here. 

"Aug.  9^^.  Went  to  the  hospital  to  visit  the  sick.  Ensign  Tilclen 
taken  sick.  I  went  out  whortleberrying — got  caught  in  a  sudden 
shower  and  much  wet. 

"Aug.  10*^.     Got  Ensign  Tilden  out  of  camp. 

"Aug.  11^^^  Went  on  Grand  Parade.  Saw  2  men  whipped  for 
desertion,  and  one  pardoned  for  sleeping  on  his  post.  Went  to  Gen. 
McDougal's  to  swear  to  Pay  Rolls:  in  the  afternoon  on  fatigue. 

"Aug.  12tii.  rpj^-^  day^he  first  Regt^  Court  Martial  was  held  that 
ever  was  held  in  the  Regiment.    Some  whipping  followed." 

The  above  extracts  give  us  a  realistic  picture  in  miniature  of  the 
daily  life  in  camp  and  on  guard  duty  of  the  American  soldier  in  1777. 
Captain  Brigham  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life — thirty-two  years  old — 
but  as  yet  had  seen  no  fighting.  The  next  winter  he  was  to  spend  with 
his  comrades  in  misery  in  Valley  Forge,  after  having  had  his  mettle 
tried  at  Fort  Mifflin  and  Germantown  the  autumn  following. 


DOCTOR  THOMAS  S.  BRIGHAM 

Was  the  oldest  son  of  Honorable  Paul  Brigham,  and  was  born  in 
Coventry,  Conn.,  in  17(i9,  coming  to  Norwich  with  his  father  when 
twelve  years  of  age. 

After  reaching  his  majority  he  studied  medicine   (.with  what  prac- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  iS/ 

titioner  is  not  known)  possibly  with  Doctor  Joseph  Lewis.  This  was 
before  the  fonndinu'  of  Dartmouth  iMeclical  College. 

When  about  twenty-five  years  ohl  Mv.  Briaham  married  Polly  Dana, 
born  in  1769,  a  daughter  of  General  James  Dana,  and  settled  in  town, 
where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  several  years  previous  to  1809, 
when  he  removed  from  Norwich,  "oina-  to  Amesbury,  Mass.,  where  he 
married  for  the  second  time,  becominf;:  the  father  of  five  children  by 
this  union.  From  Amesburv^  he  removed  to  Maine,  where  he  located 
as  a  practicinu"  physician. 

While  livinti-  in  Norwich  three  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born 
to  Doctor  Brigham.  These  children  and  their  mother  remained  in  Nor- 
wich  after  the  husband  and  father  removed  from  town,  and  the  family 
were  never  reunited  thereafter. 

Doctor  Brigham  is  said  to  have  attained  considerable  eminence  in  his 
profession.     He  died  in  1821. 


ZEBIXA  COIT 


The  death  of  Zebina  Coit  at  Norwich,  September  28,  1886,  aged 
eightv-one  vears.  removed  another  of  the  ancient  landmarks  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Coit  was  a  son  of  Captain  Samuel  Coit,  who  emigrated  to 
Norwich  from  the  town  of  the  same  name  in  Connecticut  over  one 
hundred  years  ago,  and  Avho  married  ^lary  Burton,  sister  of  Pierce 
Burton,  Esq.,  and  Henry  Burton,  at  Norwich  in  1788. 

The  ancient  seat  of  the  Coit  family — a  family  historic  in  the  annals 
of  Connecticut — was  in  and  around  New  London.  Captain  Coit,  at 
that  time  a  youth  of  nineteen,  was  present  as  a  soldier  at  the  burning 
of*that  town  bv  the  British  under  the  traitor  Benedict  Arnold,  and 
the  bloodv  massacre  of  the  garrison  of  Fort  Griswold  on  Groton 
Heights,  on  the  opposite  l)ank  of  the  river,  at  the  same  time.  He  died 
at  Norwich  in  1851  in  his  eighty-ninth  year. 

Zebina  Coit,  boi-n  in  1805,  lived  all  his  days  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead, situated  on  the  height  of  land  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town 
near  the  town  lines  of  Strafford  and  Sharon.  Plere  Captain  Coit 
k'ept  foi-  many  years  a  well  known  hostelry,  in  the  old  times  of  stage 
coaches  and  travel  over  the  tiu^npike  road  laid  through  town  from 
Chelsea  court  house,  and  thence  to  Montpelier  in  the  year  1807. 


l88  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

By  reason  of  the  great  longevity  of  his  father  and  himself,  Zebina 
Coit,  was,  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer,  the  only  surviving  represen- 
tative of  the  second  generation  of  Norwich  inhabitants — the  children  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  town.  One  by  one  the  old  families  that  settled 
up  the  town  and  have  been  more  or  less  identified  with  its  history  for  a 
century  or  more,  are  passing  away.  In  com.mon  with  all  rural  New 
England,  the  process  of  depletion  of  its  population  by  removal  of  its 
young  men  and  women  from  to\^^l  to  the  West  and  to  the  cities  has 
long  been  going  on.  For  more  than  one  hundred  years  now  there  has 
been  one  constant,  unbroken  stream  of  emigration  going  out  from  us. 
Probably  there  is  not  a  state  or  a  territory  in  the  Union  where  may 
not  be  found  natives  of  Norwich  or  descendants  of  these. 

With  the  death  of  Mr.  Coit  the  family  name  becomes  extinct  in  town. 


GEORGE  MUSALAS  COLVOCORESSES 
[By  Captain  G.  P.  Colvocoresses] 

Born  in  Scio,  Grecian  Archipelago,  October  22,  1816.  During  the 
(ireek  Revolution  the  Turks  invaded  that  island  in  1822,  and  after 
narrowly  escaping  the  masvsacre  that  followed,  George  with  his  mother 
and  two  young  sisters  were  carried  captives  to  Smyrna.  Through 
friends  in  that  city  he  was  ransomed  and  sent  in  an  American  brig  to 
Baltimore ;  much  kindness  was  shown  hiin  by  members  of  the  Greek 
Relief  Committee,  and  the  story  of  his  misfortunes  excited  the  sym- 
pathy of  Captain  Alden  Partridge,  head  of  the  military  academy  then 
at  Norwich,  who  offered  to  receive  and  provide  for  young  Colvocoresses 
as  his  son.  Accordinclv,  he  was  sent  to  Norwich  and  his  kind  bene- 
factor  educated  him  in  his  military  academv  and  secured  for  him  an 
appointment  in  the  United  States  Navy  in  1832. 

He  was  a  passed  midshipman  in  the  Wilkes  Exploring  Expedition 
in  the  Pacific,  1838- '42,  and  saw  service  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
during  his  naval  career. 

He  married  Miss  Eliza  Freelon  Halsey,  niece  of  Captain  Thomas  W. 
Ereelon,  U.  S.  N.,  in  1846,  and  Nor\\ich  continued  to  be  his  home  until 
1863. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  I89 

As  lieutenant  and  second  in  command  of  the  U.  S.  S.  ''Levant,"  on 
the  China  station,  he  took  part  in  the  bombardment  and  capture  of 
the  Barrier  Forts  in  the  Canton  River. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  ordered  to  the  U.  S.  S. 
"Supply"  and  promoted  to  commander;  while  in  this  ship  he  captured 
the  "Stephen  Hart"  of  Liverpool,  loaded  with  arms  and  ammunition 
for  the  rebels.  He  was  in  constant  service  alon<4'  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  blockading  the  coast  of  Georgia  in  the 
U.  S.  S.  "Saratoga,"  he  conducted  several  raids  into  the  enemy's 
country,  captured  troops,  dispersed  meetings  of  rebels,  and  destroyed 
salt  works  and  stores.  For  his  zealous  and  efficient  services  he  was 
twice  thanked  in  general  orders  by  Admiral  Dahlgren  and  also  received 
the  special  commendation  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Colvocoresses  commanded  the  U.  S.  S. 
"Watichusett"  and  later  the  U.  S.  S.  "St.  Mary's"  in  the  Pacific 
Avhere  he  gave  valuable  protection  to  United  States  citizens  in  Val- 
paraiso during  operations  of  the  Spanish  fleet  against  the  Republic 
of  Chili. 

In  1867  he  was  retired  with  the  rank  of  captain. 

His  second  wife  was  Miss  Adeline  IMaria  Swasey,  of  Claremont, 
N.  H.,  a  sister  of  ]\Irs.  Alden  Partridge.  By  his  first  wife  he  had 
four  children,  George  Partridge  Colvocoresses,  Frauka  Eliza,  wife  of 
J.  Denison  Champlin,  Jr.,  of  New  York,  Eva  Freelon,  married  to  G.  E. 
Jones  of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  Ellena  Seaman,  wife  of  Doctor  Charles 
W.  Haddock  of  Beverlv,  IMass. 

Captain  Colvocoresses  was  the  author  of  a  book  called  "Four  Years 
in  a  Government  Expedition,"  narrating  events  of  the  first  scientific 
explorations  made  by  our  navy  in  foreign  waters.  He  met  an  untimely 
death  by  the  hands  of  assassins  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  on  the  night  of 
June  3,  1872. 


GEORGE  PARTRIDGE  COLVOCORESSES 

Born  in  NorAvich,  April  3d,  1847,  only  son  of  Captain  G.  M.  and 
Eliza  F.  Colvocoresses. 

During  the  civil  war  he  served  in  the  navy  as  captain's  clerk  for 


igO  HISTORY  OF   NORWICH 

over  two  years  on  board  the  U.  S.  ships  ''Supply"  and  "Saratoga." 
He  was  a  cadet  at  Norwich  University  and  subsequently  entered  the 
[J.  S.  Naval  Academy  in  1864,  graduatino-  in  1869.  His  naval  service 
has  been  performed  on  all  the  foreign  stations  and  on  shore  as  an  in- 
structor at  the  Naval  Academy  and  at  the  Hydrographic  Office.  Pro- 
moted to  Ensign  1870,  jMaster  1872,  Lieutenant  1875,  Lieutenant-Com- 
mander 1897.  Commander  1900,  Captain  1905. 

Lieutenant-Commander  Colvocoresses  was  executive  officer  of  the 
cruiser  ''Concord"  in  Commodore  Dewey's  squadron  at  Manila  and 
was  advanced  five  numbers  in  his  grade  for  "eminent  and  conspicuous 
conduct  in  battle."  He  returned  home  as  executive  officer  of  the 
flag-ship  "Olympia."  The  following  two  years  he  was  engaged  in 
preparing  for  publication  the  "Naval  AVar  Records  of  the  Eebellion," 
after  which  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  U.  S.  Cruiser 
"Lancaster,"  and  later  the  cruiser  "Yankee."  Since  the  expiration  of 
this  sea  duty  he  has  been  employed  at  the  New  York  Navy  Yard. 

Commander  Colvocoresses  married  Miss  Mary  Dwight  Baldwin  of 
New  York  City  in  1875  and  has  two  sons, — George  M.,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  University,  and  mining  engineer,  and  Harold,  lieutenant  U.  S. 
Marine  Corps. 


COOK  FAMILY 

Three  brothers,  Samuel,  Francis,  and  Lyman,  with  their  two  sisters, 
(children  of  Jonathan  and  Lydia  j  Aldrich]  Cook),  ran  away  from  the 
Shaker  settlement  at  Lancaster,  Mass.,  where  they  had  been  placed  by 
their  parents  before  1800,  and  came  to  this  vicinity  at  an  early  day. 
Samuel  settled  in  Norwich,  and  married  Anna  Pratt,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children.  From  Samuel  the  later  generations  of  Cooks  in  town 
were  descended. 

Francis  also  located  in  Norwich,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  David 
Sargent,  and  there  he  lived  and  died.     He  was  never  married. 

Lyman  settled  in  Thetford. 

Another  brother,  Washington,  settled  in  New  York  State,  and  him- 
self and  his  son  were  made  prisoners  by  the  Indians,  and  taken  to 
Canada,  but  were  subsequently  released  from  captivity. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  iQl 

Seventeen  acres  of  the  farm  where  Samuel  Cook  located  were  bought 
])v  him  at  auction  when  thev  were  sold  for  taxes,  and  fifty  acres  were 
purchased  at  private  sale  from  Stephen  Percival. 

Leonard  Cook,  son  of  Samuel,  died  at  Norwich,  on  the  paternal 
acres,  j\Iay  13.  1886,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  He  was  the  last  sur- 
viving child  of  his  parents'  nine  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  have 
children  of  their  own, — sixty,  all  told. 

Mr.  Cook's  son.  Royal  E.,  now  resides  in  Norwich  Village,  having 
removed  from  the  ancestral  home  several  years  since,  leaving  it  in 
the  possession  of  his  son,  George,  whose  children  are  the  fifth  generation 
of  the  family  to  live  on  the  place. 


THE  CURTIS  FAMILY 

Simeon  Curtis  came  to  Norwich  from  Lebanon,  Conn.,  as  early  as 
the  year  1773.  in  which  year  he  was  elected  one  of  the  town  asvsessors, 
and  located  near  the  south  line  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  where  Henry 
S.  Goddard  now  lives.  Mr.  Curtis  died  in  1779  at  the  age  of  tiity- 
eight  years,  and  his  grave  is  found  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Norwich 
village  among  the  graves  of  other  early  settlers  and  near  that  of  his 
gifted  son,  Abel  Curtis,  who  survived  his  father  only  four  years. 

But  little  is  now  kno\\'n  of  the  Curtis  family,  as  its  last  representa- 
tives seem  to  have  disappeared  from  town  more  than  half  a  century 
ago.  The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Simeon  Curtis  was  Sarah  Hutchinson, 
and  the  home  of  the  family  was  at  "Lebanon  Crank"  as  it  was  called, 
or  that  part  of  Lebanon  which  is  now  Columbia,  Conn.,  and  which 
was  the  immediate  locality  of  ]\Ioor  \s  Indian  Charity  School  founded  by 
Doctor  Eleazer  Wheelock,  out  of  which  grew  Dartmouth  College. 

Captain  Solomon  Cushman,  who  came  to  Norwich  the  same  year  with 
Simeon  Curtis,  had  married  in  1768,  at  Lebanon  Crank,  Sarah 
Curtis,  probably  a  daughter  of  Simeon  Curtis.  He  removed  to  Tun- 
bridge,  Vt.,  in  1784,  where  he  was  preceded  several  years  by  Elias 
Curtis,  another  son  of  Simeon,  who  had  previously  lived  in  Norwich, 
and  where  two  or  more  of  his  children  were  born  (Elias,  b.  July 
4,  1776 — Abijah,  b.  March  11,  1781),  but  had  removed  and  was  living 
near  the  first  branch  of  White  River  in  Tunbridge  at  the  time  of  the 


192  HISTORY   OF   NORWICH 

burning  of  Royalton  in  1780,  and  who  was  carried  into  captivity  to 
Canada  at  that  time,  where  he  remained  till  the  close  of  the  war.  Ejias 
Curtis  died  in  Tunbridge,  October  16,  1830,  just  fifty  years  to  a  day 
from  the  time  of  the  attack  on  Royalton,  having  been  a  prominent  and 
much  esteemed  citizen  of  that  town,  which  he  represented  in  the  legis- 
lature and  in  the  convention  which  in  1791  adopted  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  preliminary  to  the  admission  of  Vermont  into  the 
Union.  The  wife  of  Elia.s  Curtis  was  also  Sarah  Hutchinson  and  sister 
of  Abijah,  John,  and  Hezekiah  Hutchinson,  all  from  Lebanon,  Conn., 
and  pioneer  settlers  in  Tunbridge  and  Eoyalton. 

A  brother  of  Elias  Curtis,  Simxon  Curtis,  Jr.,  married  Abigail  liood 
of  Royalton  and  settled  in  Tunbridge  at  an  early  day,  and  reared  a 
family  of  five  children.  Two  of  his  sons,  Abel  Curtis  and  Asahel  Cur- 
tis, removed  in  1810  to  the  new  town  of  Lowell,  Yt..  where  thev  were 
distinguished  for  their  enterprise  and  intelligence  in  building  up  the 
town.  Abel  Curtis  was  the  first  town  clerk  of  Lowell,  an  office  which 
he  held  twenty-seven  consecutive  years,  with  two  years'  exception;  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position  he  held  twenty  years ;  the 
first  postmaster :  built  the  first  frame  house ;  the  first  grist  mill ;  was 
member  of  constitutional  convention,  etc.  Lie  died  in  1879  at  a  very 
advanced  age. 

Asahel  Curtis  represented  Lowell  in  the  legislature  in  1812,  '14,  and 
18. 

Don  Brigham  Curtis,  son  of  Abel  Curtis,  has  been  town  clerk  of 
Lowell  since  1866,  has  represented  that  town  in  the  legislature  two 
years,  as  has  also,  repeatedly,  Don  Eugene  Curtis,  a  son  of  Don  B. 
Both  of  these  have  for  manv  vears  been  leading  men  in  business  and 
public  affairs  in  Lowell,  and  the  Curtis  family  are  altogether  still 
showing  a  strong  vitality  and  strength  of  character. 

Of  the  Curtis  family  in  Norwich,  two  daughters  of  Abel  Curtis, 
Esrj.,  survived  him.  Lucy,  the  eldest,  (born  February  22,  1780), 
married  Hon.  Thomas  Elmerson.  Of  the  younger,  Sally,  (born  De- 
cember 6,  1782),  we  have  no  information. 

Samuel  Curtis,  probably  a  son  of  Simeon  Curtis,  married  Amy 
Chandler,  May  8,  1788.  He  is  believed  to  have  lived  on  the  Simeon 
Curtis  farm  fnow  H.  S.  Goddard's).  Several  children  were  born  to 
him  from  this  union  prior  to  1794,  of  whom   Abel   Curtis   (born  Oc- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  193 

tober  26,  1790)  was  one.  Still  later  Solomon  Curtis  seems  to  have 
owned  and  occupied  the  same  premises.  He  sold  the  farm  to  Doctor 
Joseph  Lewis  in  1800,  and  from  that  date  the  Curtis  family,  so  far  as 
we  are  informed,  disappears  from  Norwich. 


ABEL  CURTIS 

In  the  abundance  of  able  men  that  adorned  the  first  twenty-five 
3^ears  of  the  history  of  the  town,  there  is  no  more  brilliant  name  than 
that  of  Abel  Curtis. 

He  was  a  son  of  Simeon  Curtis  and  came  with  his  father  from  Leb- 
anon, Conn.,  where  he  was  born  June  13,  1755. 

The  son  o-raduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  1776, 
])eing  the  first  graduate  from  this  town,  one  year  earlier  than  the  Rev. 
Asa  Burton. 

Abel  Curtis  is  first  mentioned  in  connection  with  town  affairs  in 
November,  1778,  when  he  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  Cornish  conven- 
tion of  December  following,  in  company  with  Peter  Olcott  and  Nathan- 
iel Brown. 

From  this  time  until  his  death  in  1783 — a  period  full  of  important 
events  shaping  the  future  of  state  and  country— he  was  prominent  in 
all  the  transactions  of  the  town,  representative  for  three  years  in  the 
legislature;  serving  on  many  committees;  delegate  to  Congress  in  1782, 
with  Ira  Allen  and  Jonas  Fay;  assistant  judge  of  the  county  court  in 
1782 ;  delegate  to  the  Charlestown  convention  of  Januaiw,  1781,  sitting 
at  Windsor,  by  the  joint  action  of  which  with  the  legislature  of  Ver- 
mont, the  second  union  of  New  Hampshire  towns  was  effected  on  the 
22nd  of  February,  following;  delegate  to  the  Thetford  convention  of 
June  1782,  by  which  he  was  commissioned  agent  of  the  towns  of  Hart- 
ford, Norwich,  Bradford,  and  Newbury  to  carry  to  the  Government  of 
New  Hampshire  a  memorial,  drawn  up  by  himself,  proposing  to  place 
said  towns  under  the  jurisdiction  of  that  state,  in  certain  contingencies. 
The  last  public  service  he  performed  for  the  state  was  as  chairman  of 
a  legislative  committee  to  secure  the  services  of  a  state  printer,  which 
resulted  in  a  contract  with  Llough  and  Spooner,  who  came  to  Windsor 
from  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  acted  as  printers  for  the  state  for  the  term 


194  HISTORY   OF  NORWlCli 

of  eiorht  years.  "We  have  hardly  space  to  enumerate  the  town  offices 
he  held  in  these  years.  He  was  elected  town  clerk  in  March,  1780. 
The  records  of  the  to^\Ti  meetings  from  the  organization  of  the  town  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1783  are  in  his  handwriting. 

These  records  he  appears  to  have  carefully  copied  from  the  note 
books  and  memoranda  of  earlier  clerks  and  clearly  arranged  in  a  new 
volume.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1781,  was  town  treas- 
urer in ,  first  selectman  in   1781- '82,  lister,  grand  and  petit 

juryman,  and  representative  elect  to  the  legislature  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  also  acted  as  a  member  of  a  committee  to  build  the  first 
meeting  house. 

An  Unsung  Worthy 

[W.  W.  Morrill,  Esq.] 

In  the  old  burying  ground  on  Norwich  Plain,  a  crumbling  tombstone, 
adorned  with  the  marvellous  skull  and  scroll-work  of  the  Revolutionary 
sculptor,  bears  the  following  inscription : 

"  In  Memory  of 

"ABEL  CURTIS,  Esqr 

"  who 

"1783 

"  Beneath 

"  lies  at 

''  whom  heaven  had  blest 

"  with  Genious  bright  &  love 

"  Divine  which  now  in 

"  Reims  of  Glory  Shine." 

The  missing  words  have  disappeared  with  the  shale  upon  which  they 
were  engraved,  and  must  be  sought  elsewhere  or  imagined. 

At  the  foot  of  the  grave,  upon  another  stone  almost  as  large  as  the 

first,  the  inscription  intact,  as  though  "the  carking  tooth  of  time''  had 

purposely  spared  to  future  generations  this  monument  of  orthography 

and  song  to  the  scholar  whose  glory  is  predicted,  reads: 

"Abel 
"  Curtis  Esqr 
"  Here  lies  ^  dust  of 
"  one  whos  Generous 
"  soul  is  gone  to  seats 
"  of  high  Renown 
"  to  ware  a  Glorious 
"  Crown." 


BIOGRAPHrCAL  195 

The  first,  though  not  the  earliest,  entries  under  the  head  of  ''Mar- 
riages, Births.  Deaths,"  in  the  first  book  of  records  of  the  town  of 
Norwich  reads : 

"Abel  Curtis  married  to  Kezia  Bro^^^l,  May  12,  1779." 

"Lucy  Curtis,  born  22d  February,  1780,"  and  the  opposite  page  is 
headed  with:  "Abel  Curtiss  Esqi'  died  October  7,  1783." 

The  general  catalogue  of  Dartmouth  College  contains,  as  it  has  or 
may  have  done  for  a  century  past,  the  following  entry: 

''1776  Abel  Curtis,  f.  A.  M.  1788.     28" 

Who  and  what  was  Abel  Curtiss  (for  so  the  name  is  always  spelled 
by  himself)  ;  this  youth  who  left  his  alma  mater  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  whose  subsequent  career  was  almost  coincident  in  time  with  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  who  became  a  farmer,  a  husband,  and  a  father, 
and  who  died  a  hundred  years  ago,  aged  twenty-eight  ? 

A  little  book,  believed  to  be  the  first  literary  production  of  a  Dart- 
mouth graduate,  or  of  a  citizen  of  Vermont,  as  well  as  the  first  purely 
English  grammar  written  and  published  in  America,  but  a  single  copy 
of  which  is  now  thought  to  exist,  bears  the  following  upon  its  title- 
page  : 

"A  compend  of  English  Grammar;  being  an  attempt  to  point  out 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  English  language  in  a  concise  and 
intelligible  manner,  and  to  assist  in  writing  and  speaking  the  same 
with  accuracy  and  correctness. 

"Written  by  Abel  Curtiss,  A.  B. 


?  J 


"  While  Education  bears  her  gentle  sway, 
And  we  her  precepts  cheerfully  obey  ; 
While  every  breast  glows  with  the  gen'rous  flame 
And  Britons  envy  our  increasing  fame  ; 
In  mighty  pomp  America  will  rise, 
Her  glories  spreading  to  the  boundless  skies, 
'    "  Dresden  ;  Dartmouth  College. 

"  Printed  by  J.  P.  &  A.  Spooner,  1779." 

The  events  of  the  seven  years  between  Abel  Curtiss'  graduation  and 
his  death,  crowded  with  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  war  for  independence, 
are  doubly  interesting  to  the  student  of  early  Vermont  history ;  they 
possess  a  still  greater  charm  for  him  of  the  Connecticut  river  towns. 

When  Abel  Curtiss  left  the  college  on  the  eastern  bank  for  the  farm 


196  HISTORY   OF  NORWICH 

* 

on  the  western,  the  united  colonies  had  just  declared  their  independence 
of  the  British  crown,  the  people  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  whose 
territory  was  separately  claimed  by  IMassachusetts,  New  Hampshire, 
and  particularly  New  York,  were  about  declaring  themselves  an  inde- 
pendent state ;  and  the  to^^Tls  on  either  bank  of  the  Connecticut  had  a 
special  concern  that  they  might  not  be  separated  from  each  other  in 
the  division  into  states.  So  while  with  the  new-made  states  they  fought 
the  savage  and  the  Briton,  common  foes,  the  river  settlers  had  three 
distinct  contests  to  wage  against  individual  states,  and  still  another 
Avith  whomsoever  sought  to  make  the  Connecticut  a  boundary. 

The  town  of  Norwich,  now  almost  a  Sleepy  Hollow  with  a  Deserted 
Village,  was  in  Abel  Curtiss'  time  one  of  the  foremost  towns  in  the 
infant  commonwealth ;  so  important  that  when  the  first  Governor 's 
Council  was  formed,  in  1778,  while  other  leading  towns  furnished  each 
one  of  the  twelve  councillors,  Norwich  alone  gave  two. 

The  records  of  the  town  bear  ample  testimony  that  the  Norwich 
fathers  were  able  and  influential  men ;  so  that  when  Abel  Curtiss  took 
the  freeman's  oath  it  was  by  no  means  wholly  for  lack  of  efficient  ma- 
terial that  he  was  at  once  put  forward  as  a  leader  in  civic  affairs; 
that  now  he  is  appointed  upon  a  committee  to  lay  out  a  highw^ay  from 
the  river  across  the  town ;  now  an  assessor  to  assess  the  inhabitants  to 
pay  a  scouting  party ;  now  to  take  the  list  of  inhabitants  with  a  view  to 
providing  for  the  minister's  support;  now  to  estimate  the  value  of  the 
several  pews  in  the  new  meeting  house,  the  finest  in  the  state;  now  ''to 
treat  with  the  trustees  of  Dartmouth  College  respecting  the  expediency 
of  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  lottery  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  bridge 
across  the  river  between  this  town  and  Dresden ' ' ;  that  he  held  all  man- 
ner of  town  offices  and  several  at  a  time— surveyor  of  highways,  sealer 
of  weights  and  measures,  petit- juryman,  grand- juryman,  selectman, 
town  treasurer,  town  clerk,  justice  of  the  peace ;  that  he  represented 
the  town  in  the  Vermont  assembly  in  1778,  1781,  and  1782 ;  that  he  was 
appointed  a  delegate  to  almost  every  one  of  the  frequent  conventions 
in  which  his  town,  was  interested.  Nor  certainly  in  larger  fields  was 
it  from  paucity  of  able  and  experienced  men  that  he  became  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  County  Court ;  that  in  company  with  two  of  the 
foremost  men  of  the  state  he  was  sent  to  the  American  Congress  at 
Philadelphia  to  solicit  admission  to  the  Union;  that  he  was  appointed 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IQ/ 

by  the  governor  a  member  of  the  ''board  of  war";  that  he  held  other 
delicate  and  responsible  positio::s. 

Important  as  were  his  services  to  town,  connty,  and  state,  Abel 
Curtiss'  political  labors  were  chietly  directed  to  keeping  the  Con- 
necticnt  river  towns  united  in  civil  relations. 

Prior  to  1764  the  territory  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  had 
been  under  a  single  jurisdiction.  The  two  banks  of  the  Connecticut 
had  been  settled  by  neighbors,  who  had  remained  neighbors,  whose 
customs  aiui  interests  were  identical.  The  division  in  Colonial  times 
had  affected  them  but  slightly.  But  when  it  became  a  question  of  form- 
ing independent  states,  the  feeling  of  indifference  gave  place  to  one  of 
great  concern  that  the  river  towns  should  not  be  separated. 

Of  these  river  towns,  Norwich  on  the  one  bank  was,  as  we  have  seen, 
important;  on  the  other  side  was  Dresden,  the  portion  of  Hanover, 
three  miles  stjLiare,  which  contained  the  college,  and  which  New  Hamp- 
shire had  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  President  Wheelock  as 
magistrate.  These  two  important  places  were  centrally  located  from 
north  to  south,  and  approximately  so  from  east  to  west,  should  Ver- 
inont  be  allovred  to  extend  to  "Mason's  Line":  and  the  capital,  which 
would  doubtless  be  located  on  the  river,  might  well  come  to  one  of  them. 

At  all  events,  the  college  authorities  were  deeply  interested,  together 
with  many  east-bank  towns,  as  was  Norwich  with  those  on  the  western 
bank,  to  remove  the  boundary  from  the  river.  What  wonder  that 
both  parties  saw  in  Abel  Curtiss,  one  of  the  earliest  graduates  of  the 
college,  and  doubtless  the  first  collegian  whom  Norwich  had  produced, 
young,  talented,  and  ambitious,  a  valuable  coadjutor  in  their  plans,  and 
that  he  at  once  became  a  leader  in  the  movement ! 

*4£*  Jf.  M.  4E,  J«, 

•«"  TT  TP  ^  tP 

Finally,  no  better  tribute  can  be  paid  to  the  patriotism  of  this 
almost  prodigy  of  the  olden  time,  than  the  reproduction  of  the  follow- 
ing extracts  from  a  letter  written  to  a  college  classmate  who  had 
joined  the  enemy : 

"For  Mr.  Levi  Willard: 

' '  To  the  care  of  any  patriot ;  supposed  to  be  with  the  British  forces 
at  the  Northward,  unless  taken, 


198  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

''My  dear  Willard: 

' '  You  can  hardly  guess  my  surprise  and  grief  when  first  I  heard  the 
melaucholv  news  that  you  had  forsaken  a  father's  house,  friends,  and 

«/  c'  7  7 

acquaintances,  and  had  gone :  gracious  Heaven,  where  ?  To  join  your- 
self with  (let  me  .use  as  favorable  terms  as  possible)  those  savage  and 

unnatural  destrovers  of  our  countrv .     If  vou  think 

our  cause  unjust,  I  shall  not  at  present  multiply  words ;  only  ask  you 
to  look  into  the  natural  and  equal  right  every  man  has  to  freedom,  and 
then  see  if  one  may  in  justice  assume  power  over  another  so  as  to  'bind 

him  in  all  else  whatever' .     It  is  this  arbitrary  power  these 

states  are  opposing ;  and  indeed  I  am  so  convinced  of  the  justice  of  our 
cause  that  should  every  man  in  the  United  States  of  America,  even 
to  his  Excellency  General  Washington,  willingly  submit  to  the  power 
of  Britain,  which  I  am  confident  is  far  otherwise,  I  should  by  no 
means  be  persuaded  that  we  are  not  fighting  in  the  cause  of  heaven 

and  manlvind. That  vou  mav  be  thoroughlv  convinced  of 

your  error,  return  to  your  allegiance  to  the  American  States,  be  a 
faithful  and  true  subject  of  the  same, — and  experience  the  happy, 
happy  effects  of  a  pardon  from  God  and  your  country  is,  once  dear 
sir,  the  hearty  desire  and  prayer  of  your  well  wisher  and  my  country 's 
devoted  servant. 

"A.   CURTISS 
'^' Dartmouth  College,  Sept.  22,  1777, 


J  y 


DOCTOR  SHUBAEL  CONVERSE 

The  son  of  Shubael  and  Phoebe  Converse,  was  born  at  Randolph, 
Vt.,  September  7,  1805.  He  studied  his  profession  with  Doctor  R.  D. 
Mussey  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  at  Dartmouth  College,  graduating  at 
that  institution  in  1828. 

Soon  after  he  settled  in  Strafford,  where  he  resided  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  until  1837,  when  he  purchased  the  business  and  homestead 
of  Doctor  Horace  Hatch  at  the  southern  border  of  Norwich  village,  and 
removing  there  was  engaged  in  the  active  pursuit  of  his  professional 
duties  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  until  his  sudden  decease  August  6, 
1861.  Doctor  Converse  possessed  in  a  high  degree  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  the  community,  both  as  a  citizen  and  a  physician.  A  man  of 
enlightened  views  and  much  public  spirit,  he  was  especially  interested 
in  the  cause  of  popular  education.    He  was  superintendent  of  schools 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IQQ 

in  Norwich  from  1846  to  1854,  and  again  in  1855  and  1856.  xYfter  the 
removal  of  Norwich  University  to  Nortlifield  in  1866,  he  was  prominent 
in  establishing  the  Norwich  Classical  and  English  Boarding  School  the 
following  year.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature  in  1845  and 
1846  and  was  chosen  a  Senator  from  AYindsor  County  in  1855  and 
1856.  Among  other  young  men  who  pursued  medical  studies  with 
Doctor  Converse  at  Norwich  were  Doctor  Henry  Baxter  of  Ilighgate 
and  Doctor  Charles  D.  Lewis  of  Kentucky. 

Doctor  Converse  married  in  1841,  Louvia  E.  Morrill,  daughter  of 
David  and  Margery  Morrill,  of  Strafford,  Vt.,  to  whom  were  born  two 
sons  and  three  daughters.  The  eldest  son,  Charles  B.  Converse,  grad- 
uated at  Dartmouth  College  in  1863,  and  is  now  a  practising  physician 
in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.  He  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  at  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College  in  1871. 

Doctor  Converse  was  a  cousin  of  Governor  Julius  Converse  of  Wood- 
stock, also  a  native  of  Randolph,  where  the  Converse  family  appears  to 
have  been  an  influential  and  numerous  family  from  an  early  period. 


REAR-ADMIRAL  GEORGE  A.  CONVERSE 

Born  at  Norwich,  May  13,  1844,  son  of  Dr.  Shubael  and  Louvia 
(Merrill)  Converse;  was  a  cadet  at  Norwich  L^niversity  from  1859  to 
1861 :  graduated  from  the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy  in  1864,  with  the  high- 
est honors  in  a  class  of  64  members;  attached  to  the  European  squad- 
ron, 1865- '69,  1870-9  and  1883-85;  instructor  at  the  torpedo  station 
at  Newport,  R.  I. ;  in  connnand  of  the  U.  S.  S.  IMontgomery  during  the 
war  with  Spain ;  now  chief  of  the  bureau  of  navigation,  U.  S.  Navy. 
He  married  Laura  Shelby  Blood,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Laura 
(Shelby)  Blood,  to  whom  were  born  several  daughters. 

Admiral  Converse's  great  ability  in  his  chosen  profession  has  re- 
ceived merited  recognition  from  his  brother  officers. 


THE  CUSHMAN  FAMILY 

The  Cushman  family  in  New  England  dates  from  the  year  1621,  the 
tirst  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  from  the  Mayflower,  when  Rob- 


200  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

ert  Cushman,  who  was  a  prominent  leader  and  organizer  of  the  Ply- 
mouth Colony,  brought  from  England  the  earliest  recruits  and  supplies 
to  the  wasted  and  famishing  settlement. 

A  century  and  a  half  later  Solomon  Cushman,  a  descendant  of  Rob- 
ert, in  the  sixth  generation,  born  at  Plympton,  Mass.,  in  1745,  having 
married  Sarah  Curtis,  daughter  of  Sim.eon  Curtis,  at  Lebanon,  Conn., 
in  1768,  removed  to  Norwich,  probably  in  company  with  the  Curtis 
family. 

Solomon  Cushman  (afterward  known  as  Captain  Solomon)  was  in 
those  days  a  famous  hunter  and  marksman,  the  terror  of  bears  and 
catamounts.  He  once  shot  and  killed  a  deer  at  a  distance  of  seventy- 
two  rods.  In  the  war  of  the  Revolution  he  served  three  vears  as  lieu- 
tenant  in  the  Norwich  militia  in  the  campaign  of  1777  against  Bur- 
goyne,  and  the  following  two  years  on  the  northern  frontier  as  captain 
of  a  company  of  Rangers  in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Timothy  Bedel 
of  Haverhill,  N.  H.  His  health  was  much  broken  as  a  result  of  his 
service  in  the  army.  In  1784  he  removed  to  Tunbridge,  Vt.,  where  he 
died  in  1799,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four.  His  son,  Benjamin  H.  Cushman, 
born  in  Norwich,  recently  died  at  Tunbridge,  upwards  of  ninety  years 
old,  and  the  father  of  twelve  children. 

Three  years  after  the  removal  of  Captain  Solomon  Cushman  to  Tun- 
bridge, another  Solomon  Cushman,  the  fifth  in  descent  from  Robert 
Cushman,  the  Pilgrim  ancestor,  came  to  Norwich  from  Willington, 
Conn.,  with  his  family.  He  was  already  a  man  of  advanced  years,  and 
a  portion  only  of  his  large  family  of  grown  up  children  seems  to  have 
accompanied  him  to  his  new  home  in  Vermont.  Of  three  sons  who 
came,  Job  and  Solomon,  Jr.,  after  some  years'  residence  in  Norwich 
(where  Solomon  married  Charlotte  Vincent),  removed  to  the  state 
of  New  York.  Oliver,  the  remaining  son,  married  Maria  C.  Thomas 
of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  in  1795,  became  a  prosperous  farmer  and  reared 
a  family  of  eleven  children.  He  died  in  1852  aged  eighty-three.  Hi .' 
son,  Oliver,  Jr.,  who  married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Timothy  Tilden,  in 
1839,  occupied  the  paternal  homestead  near  the  banks  of  Connecticut 
river. 

Joseph  Cushman,  a  younger  brother  of  Solomon,  Sr.,  came  to  Nor- 
wich about  the  same  time  and  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  town. 
He  had  previously  served  four  years  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  201 

had  been  present  at  Monmouth  and  other  important  battles.  He  died 
here  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  eio:hty-nine,  havino-  received  a  pension  of  $96 
a  year  for  manv  vears.  He  married  Tabitha  Johnson,  daughter  of 
Captain  William  Johnson,  of  Willington,  Conn.,  in  1785,  a  sister  of 
Seth,  Calvin,  William,  James  and  John  Johnson — all  early  settlers  of 
Norwich,  and  four  of  these  also  fellow  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
struggle.  I\lrs.  Cushman  died  in  1856,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Of 
the  descendants  of  their  four  children,  a  granddaughter  only,  Mrs. 
Susan  Ann  Davis,  widow  of  Oscar  F.  Davis,  who  died  in  Andersonville 
prison  in  1864,  survives  in  town. 


MOSES  DAVIS 

The  records  in  the  U.  S.  Pension  Ofhce  show  that  Mr.  Davis  married 
fSarah  Sawyer,  at  Dracut,  Mass.,  April  6,  1785.  He  came  to  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  in  1806  or  '07,  and  from  there  to  Norwich  in  1813  or  '14.  He 
was  a  soldier  at  the  Battle  of  Lexington  and  it  is  supposed  that  he 
was  in  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

In  1777  he  served  at  Fishkill  on  the  Hudson  and  the  next  year  at 
Valley  Forge.  He  was  one  of  the  guard  over  the  spy.  i\Iajor  Andre, 
one  or  two  nights  before  he  ■  was  executed.  The  aggregate  of  Mr. 
Davis'  service  in  the  armv  was  over  two  vears. 


DOCTOR  IRA  DAVIS 

The  son  of  Moses  Davis,  Esq.,  was  born  at  Dracut,  Mass.,  probably 
about  the  year  1797  or  1798.  He  established  himself  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  Norwich  Plain  in  1830  or  1831,  and  there  continued  till 
his  death  in  March,  1873.  He  was  in  constant  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion for  more  than  thirty  years. 

During  his  long  residence  in  towji.  Doctor  Davis  interested  himself 
in  a  areat  variety  of  matters  outside  of  his  professional  work.  With 
William  T.    I^orter*  he  edited  and  published  the  Vermont  Enquirer 

*W.  T.  Porter,  who,  in  1856,  in  connection  with  George  Wilkes,  founded  in  New  Vork 
City  the  sporting  paper  called  Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times. 


202  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

from  1829-1831.  He  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  organizing  an  Epis- 
copal church  about  1835.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Norwich  University 
from  its  start,  and  always  active  in  its  behalf. 

He  vras  fruitful  in  projects  of  various  kinds,  many  of  which  it  was 
his  fortune  never  to  see  realized.  For  many  sessions  of  the  legislature 
he  regularly  put  in  his  petition  for  the  establishment  of  a  Bank  of 
Discou.nt  at  Norwich. 

In  politics  he  was  a  strong  partizan,  and  cultivated  party  spirit  in 
all  the  relations  of  society.  He  was  the  only  town  clerk,  as  we  are  in- 
formed, who  ever  thought  it  necessary  in  recording'  a  statement  of  the 
vote  of  the  town  at  local  or  general  elections  to  designate  the  politics 
of  the  respective  candidates  for  office  opposite  the  name  of  each  on  the 
record  of  the  town.  He  often  held  public  office  in  town,  and  was 
postmaster  one  or  more  terms. 

Doctor  Davis  was  very  well  versed  in  matters  outside  of  his  pro- 
fession, in  which  he  was  considered  a  skillful  practitioner,  and  but  for 
a  great  degree  of  hesitancy  towards  exertion,  either  mental  or  physical, 
he  might  have  reaped  a  happy  reward  for  his  efforts  toward  gain. 

He  was  married  (first)  to  Polly  Hazeltine,  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
Charles,  who  was  living  in  one  of  the  western  states,  not  long  since : 
(second)  Rhoda  -Slack,  to  whom  were  born  Andrew,  Frank,  Rosella, 
Margaret  and  Belle,  of  whom  only  Margaret  and  Belle  are  living,  the 
latter  now  holding  an  important  clerical  position  in  the  police  depart- 
ment of  Boston,  Mass.,  which  position  she  has  been  an  incumbent  of  for 
many  years.  Margaret  resides  in  ]\Iinnesota.  The  third  wife  was  Eliza 
Crary,  who  had  two  sons,  one  of  whom  is  Doctor  George  Davis,  a  suc- 
cessful physician  in  Manchester,  N.  H. 


THE  DUTTON  FAMILY 

The  progenitor  of  this  family  in  Norwich  was  Samuel  Dutton,  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Dutton  of  Washington,  Conn.  Samuel 
Dutton  was  born  March  1,  1707,  and  married  Abigail  IMerriam,  May  6, 
1729.     He  died  in  Royalton,  Vt,  in  1802,  and  his  wife  April  6,  1799. 

Mr.  Dutton  came  from  Washington,  Conn.,  to  Hartford,  Yt.,  and 
from  the  latter  place  to  Norwich,  locating  on  what  is  called  Dutton  hill. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  20 


-1 


a  little  west  of  Norwich  village.  The  original  farm,  with  later  addi- 
tions, is  now  occupied  by  Otis  ^Metcalf,  son-in-law  of  the  late  Deacon 
John  Button. 

Mr.  Samuel  Dutton  m.arried  (first)  Johanna  Root  in  1764;  and 
(second)  Rachel  Benedict,  in  1772,  to  whom  were  born  eight  children. 

:\rr.  Dutton  died  Feb.  22,  1813,  and  his  wife  died  July  1,  1828. 

Daniel  Benedict,  son  of  Samuel  and  Rachel  Dutton,  was  born  August 
22,  1773,  and  died  at  Norwich  September  1,  1849,  aged  seventy-six 
years.  His  Avife,  Lorana  (Smith),  to  whom  he  was  married  December 
5,  1796  (born  February  15,  1779),  died  September  15,  1857.  From 
Norwich  he  removed  to  Stowe,  Vt.,  and  remained  there  until  just  before 
his  father 's  decease,  when  he  returned  to  Norwich  for  a  short  time,  then 
returned  to  Stowe. 

In  1834  he  again  came  to  Norwich,  and  here  died. 

The  late  Deacon  John  Dutton,  son  of  Daniel  B.  and  Lorana  (born  at 
Stowe,  Vt.,  August  23,  1818),  came  to  Norwich  with  his  parents  in 
1834,  and  continued  thereafter  to  reside  on  the  ancestral  acres  until  his 
decease  January  16,  1888. 

Although  a  lifelong  farmer.  Deacon  Dutton  interested  himself  in 
other  ventures,  at  times.  He  represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature 
in  1874  and  1876.  He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  for  many  years. 

His  wife  (Harriet  Anna  Lord)  to  whom  he  was  married  June  14, 
1848,  is  still  living.  Their  children  were  six  in  number,  two  of  whom 
are  living:  Charles  Sumner  and  Hattie  Elizabeth,  the  latter  the  wife  of 
Otis  JMetcalf. 


THE  EMERSON  BROTHERS 

About  the  yeai-  1792,  P^lihu  Emerson,  just  then  arrived  at  his  ma- 
jority, came  to  Norwich  from  Westtield,  Mass.:  followed  in  1795  by 
Joseph  and  later  by  Thomas,  two  younger  brothers. 

These  young  men  became  heads  of  families,  and  were  prominent  resi- 
dents in  town  for  many  years. 

Elihu  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  carriecl  on  ])usiness  in  a  shop 


204  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

that  he  built  a  short  distance  north  of  his  residence  on  "Norwich 
Plain." 

For  his  first  wife  Mr.  Emerson  married  Thankful  Grant,  and  for  his 
second  wife  Cynthia  Brooks.  The  first  wife  died  in  1834,  aged  fifty- 
eight  years,  and  the  second  wife  in  1861,  ased  eio'htv  years,  Mr.  Emer- 
son  following  them  in  1873,  at  the  adyanced  age  of  oyer  one  hundred 
and  two  years.  He  died  at  his  daughter's  in  Leicester,  Mass.,  from 
which  place  his  remains  were  brought  to  Norw^ich  and  placed  in  the 
yillage  cemetery. 

By  his  first  wife  Mr.  Emerson  had  three  daughters:  Charlotte,  who 
married  John  ]\li]ton  Partridge  of  Norwich :  Harriet,  who  married 
Doctor  Austin  Flint,  of  Leicester,  Mass. ;  and  Julia,  who  neyer  mar- 
ried. 

Mr.  Emerson  was  a  yery  agile  man  until  well  along  in  years — 
placing  his  hands  on  his  horse's  back  and  mounting  thereon  from  the 
ground  on  the  seyenty-first  anniyersary  of  his  birth. 

Joseph  and  Thomas  were  inclined  towards  trade  and  speculation. 
Besides  occup^ang  the  home  field  in  this  direction,  they  had,  before 
]H12,  established  large  stores  of  general  merchandise  at  Montreal  and 
Detroit,  doing  a  yery  extensiye  business.  The  latter  place  was,  at 
that  period,  the  general  trading  post  and  distributing  point  for  a  large 
portion  of  the  Northwest  Territory.  They  traded  with  the  Indians 
and  furnished  the  American  army  under  General  Hull  and  other 
commanders  in  that  yicinity  with  large  quantities  of  supplies,  and  did 
a  yery  liicratiye  business. 

After  haying  sold  out  there,  Joseph  Emerson  was  engaged  consid- 
erably as  a  builder.  He  built  both  the  Norwich  LTniyersity  buildings, 
the  "South  Barracks"  in  1819-1820,  and  the  north  building,  a  board- 
ing house,  in  1830-1831,  besides  many  priyate  dwellings  in  town.  He 
died  at  NorAvich,  January,  1857,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
Thomas  Emerson  continued  actiye  in  trade  at  Norwich  and  other 
places.  He  was  also  prominent  in  building  the  new  meeting  house  of 
the  South  Congregational  Society,  at  Norwich  Plain,  in  1817.  After 
1820  he  was  actiyely  engaged  in  politics.  He  represented  the  town 
1824-1829  as  a  Jackson  Democrat. 

During  some  of  these  years  the  contest  waxed  yery  hot  between  the 
partizans  of  ^Ir.  Emerson  and  those  of  Judge  Loyeland,  who  was  op- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  20$ 

posed  to  him  in  politics  and  frequently  a  candidate  for  legislative 
honors.  The  struogle  was  made  mostly  on  personal  grounds,  as  far  as 
we  have  been  able  to  ascertain. 

Mr.  Emerson  was  a  good  representative,  in  his  day  and  on  a  small 
scale,  of  what  has  since  come  to  be  known  as  personal  politics,  and  he 
was  a  good  example  of  a  political  "boss."  The  scenes  that  attended 
electioneering  and  elections  at  this  time  are  represented  as  sufficiently 
discreditable  to  the  town.  Rum  flowed  as  freely  as  water,  and  the 
amount  of  treating,  drunkenness,  and  disorder  was  utterly  sickening 
to  sober  minded  people. 

He  removed  to  Windsor  in  1829  to  become  president  of  the  Windsor 
Bank.  The  bank  failed  in  1835  or  1836,  and  after  passing  through 
an  unpleasant  ordeal  as  a  consequence  of  the  failure,  ^Ir.  Emerson  went 
West  never  to  return  to  Vermont.  AVhile  at  Windsor  he  built  himself 
a  costlv  dwelling  house — said  to  be  the  finest  residence  in  the  state  at 
that  time.  It  is  the  place  owned  by  Hon.  E.  W^.  Stoughton.  The  brick 
used  in  building  it  was  all  made  at  Norwich,  and  the  granite  for  under- 
pinning and  cellar  was  quarried  here.  These  were  all  transported  to 
Windsor  bv  teams  on  the  same  dav. 

Of  course  large  quantities  of  liquor  were  consumed  and  some  of  the 
men  who  went  with  their  teams  were  said  to  have  been  several  days  in 
getting  home. 


REVEREND  SAMUEL  GODDARD 

Mr.  Goddard  was  born  at  Sutton,  Mass.,  July  6,  1772.  We  have  no 
information  concerning  his  early  life.  His  opportunities  for  education 
are  said  to  have  been  scanty.  After  coming  to  manhood  he  w^as  for 
several  vears  in  trade  with  a  brother  in  Rovalston,  Mass.  Here  he 
married  his  first  wife  (Abigail  Goddard  of  Athol,  a  town  adjoining 
Royalston),  and  here  his  older  children  were  born. 

The  mercantile  business  ended  in  failure,  and  ]\Ir.  Goddard 's 
thoughts  were  turned  strongly  towards  the  subject  of  religion.  The 
result  was  that  he  became  a  student  for  the  ministry  with  Doctor  Seth 
l^ayson,  D.  D.,  of  Rindge,  N.  H.  (Doctor  Payson  was  father  of  Rev- 
erend Edward  Payson,  the  eminent  divine  of  a  later  day.) 


206  tllSTORY    OF    NORWICH 

After  being  admitted  to  preach,  Mr.  Goddard  was  employed  part  of 
a  year  at  Gilsnm,  N.  H.  In  the  year  1809  he  removed  to  the  town  of 
Concord  in  northern  Vermont,  a  new  town  in  a  thinly  settled  district, 
a  town  whose  first  settlers  were  largely  from  Royalston  and  other 
neighboring  IMassachnsetts  towns. 

He  was  then  a  man  thirty-seven  years  of  age  and  had  a  family  of  six 
children.  A  small  church  had  been  gathered  in  Concord  previous  to 
the  coming  of  Mr.  Goddard,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Deacon 
JJavid  Hibbard,  who  had  emigrated  to  that  town  from  Norwich,  Vt., 
in  1799. 

Over  this  church  Mr.  Goddard  was  ordained  the  first  pastor  Sep- 
tember 7.  1809,  which  relation  was  maintained  about  twelve  vears, 
until  his  dismission  June  6,  1821.  The  church  consisted  of  but  seven- 
teen members  at  the  settlement  of  the  new  pastor,  and  received  about 
eighty  additions  during  his  ministry.  The  ordination  services  were 
held  in  the  open  air  (at  Concord  Corner),  and  were  largely  attended 
by  citizens  of  Concord  and  adjoining  towns.  The  ordination  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  Joseph  Lee  of  Royalston,  Mass.,  from  Jeremiah 
111.  15.  A  handsome  meeting  house  was  built  for  the  church  in  1816 — 
large  and  costly  for  the  time,  at  an  expense  of  about  $3,000.  It  was 
furnished  with  an  excellent  bell  "the  first  in  all  the  region  round." 

Besides  building  up  a  flourishing  church  at  Concord,  Mr.  Goddard 
performed  considerable  missionary  labor  for  the  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire  JMissionary  Societies  during  his  residence  at  Concord.  At 
least  three  new  churches  were  organized  by  him  during  this  period — 
at  Barnet  in  1816,  and  at  Glover  and  Barton  in  1818. 

It  is  claimed  that  he  established  the  first  Sabbath  School  in  Ver- 
mont, composed  of  the  young  people  of  his  church,  in  1811  or  1812. 
This  he  called  his  "Bible  School,"  and  it  was  modeled  after  similar 
schools  then  recently  started  in  England.  (It  is  interesting  to  note  in 
this  connection,  that  the  successor  of  Mr.  Goddard  over  the  church  at 
Concord,  Reverend  S.  R.  Hall,  is  credited  with  being  the  first  to  estab- 
lish educational  institutions  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  common 
schools — substantially  our  modern  Normal  Schools.  This  was  about  the 
year  1825.) 

An  invitation  to  preach  as  a  candidate  for  the  North  Congregational 
Church  at  Norwich,  Vt.   (then  without  a  minister)   in  the  autumn  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  207 

18^1.  was  followed  by  his  settlement  there  January  23,  1822,  as  suc- 
cessor to  Reverend  John  W.  AVoodward,  who  had  been  dismissed  the 
preceding  summer.  The  North  Church  at  this  time  numbered  about  one 
hundred  members ;  and  almost  immediately  there  were  large  accessions. 
]\Iarch  3,  1822,  twenty-nine  new  members  were  admitted ;  in  May,  six- 
teen ;  and  in  July,  ten ;  so  that  before  the  end  of  the  year  sixty  new 
members  were  added  to  the  church. 

"During  a  ministry  of  a  little  over  seventeen  years,"  wrote  Mr.  God- 
dard  in  1838,  "there  have  been  five  revivals  of  religion  of  greater  or 
less  extent  in  this  church.  In  1821  and  1822  there  were  added  to  the 
church  eighty-eight.  In  each  of  the  years  1826,  1831  and  1835,  there 
were  revivals  and  about  forty  added  to  the  church  as  fruits  at  each 
season.  In  the  winter  of  1836-37,  there  was  a  revival  in  several  school 
districts,  chietly  among  the  Sabbath  School  children,  and  sixteen  were 
added  to  the  church.  .  .  The  present  number  on  our  list  is  now 
(1838)  247,  some  of  whom  are  non-resident.  The  society  is  small  and 
nuich  scattered,  and  the  usual  number  at  public  worship  is  considerably 
less  than  the  number  of  church  members." 

The  prosperity  of  the  North  Congregational  Church  under  the  min- 
istrations of  Air.  Goddard,  as  above  outlined,  is  certainly  remarkable. 
He  found  it  weakened  in  numbers  and  resources  by  the  recent  organ- 
ization of  a  new  church  at  Norwich  Plain,  less  than  two  mile-s  distant, 
ihe  seat  of  a  flourishing  seminary  around  which  the  business,  popula- 
tion and  wealth  of  the  town  were  gathering  to  build  up  a  new  and 
thriving  village.  xVt  the  close  of  a  ministry  of  over  twenty  years, 
during  which  period  his  parish  was  still  further  depleted  by  the  re- 
moval of  manv  families  and  individuals  to  the  West,  he  left  the  church 
stronger  and  more  united  than  he  found  it. 

Outside  of  the  special  duties  of  his  calling,  Mr.  Goddard  proved  him- 
self a  valuable  citizen  in  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
town  and  community.  In  1825  he  assisted  in  organizing  a  town  com- 
mittee for  the  supervision  of  the  common  schools  of  the  town,  of  which 
committee  he  was  a  member  (with  Colonel  Alba  Stimson  and  others), 
<nid  chairman  for  several  years.  This  was  before  there  Avas  any  state 
legislation  requiring  town  supervision  of  common  schools  in  Vermont, 
lie  was  instrumental  in  organizing  a  Temperance  Society  in  connection 
vrith  his  church  and  society.     July  4,  1827,  at  the  very  outset  of  the 


208  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

temperance  niovement  in  this  country,  a  society  was  formed  from 
members  of  the  North  Church,  with  others,  ' '  on  the  principle  of  volun- 
tary abstinence  from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits. ' '  On  the  third  of  May, 
1883,  the  church,  by  a  solemn  resolve,  declared  "that  the  traffic  and 
use  of  ardent  spirits,  as  a  drink,  was  inconsistent  with  church  mem- 
bership." Early  the  following  year  Ralph  AVaterman,  who  persisted, 
after  repeated  appeals,  in  selling  spirituous  liquors  to  intemperate  per- 
sons, was  expelled  from  the  church. 

About  thirty  years  ago,  Reverend  S.  W.  Boardman,  then  preaching 
for  the  South  Congregational  Society  at  Norwich,  reviewed  the  his- 
tory of  that  church  in  town  in  a  series  of  historical  sermons.  His  esti- 
mate of  Mr.  Goddard  is  copied  in  part  below,  slightly  condensed,  but 
mostly  in  his  own  words : 

"Mr.  Goddard  deserves  to  have  a  full  narrative  of  his  life  written. 
It  seems  to  me,  all  things  considered,  that  no  better  or  more  useful 
citizen  has  ever  lived  in  this  place.  "Slore  than  any  other  man  ever 
settled  here  he  might  sav,  I  think,  'Bv  the  Grace  of  God  I  am  what 
T  am. '  His  opportunities  for  early  education  were  exceedingly  limited. 
I  have  understood  that  three  months  completed  all  his  time  at  school. 
In  mature  life  he  became  a  merchant,  but  it  was  impressed  upon  him 
that  he  ought  to  preach  the  gospel.  Still  he  felt  that  he  could  not  leave 
his  business,  but  the  Lord  sent  upon  him  calamity  and  his  store  Avas 
burned  to  the  ground.  Still  he  pursued  his  business  till  reverse  fol- 
lowing reverse  left  him  nothing  miore  to  lose:  and  being  thus  divested 
of  all  earthlv  treasures  he  was  readv  to  enter  the  Lord's  vinevard.  He 
was  now  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  with  a  family  of  six  children.  It 
is  not  probable  that  many  are  called  to  preach  the  gospel  under  such 
circumstances,  but  in  ]\Ir.  Goddard  's  case  there  can  be  but  little  doubt 
that  he  followed  the  path  of  duty.  After  a  brief  period  of  study  he 
commenced  preaching     .... 

"At  the  close  of  his  first  settlement  of  twelve  years  at  Concord,  Vt., 
he  was  called  to  Norwich  in  1821.  His  equipment  of  learning  was  prob- 
ably less  than  that  of  any  other  man  ever  settled  over  this  church.  He 
had,  however,  a  clear,  ready  mind,  a, good  knowledge  of  the  bible,  and 
he  was  a  man  of  prayer. 

"While  he  made  no  pretensions  to  scholarship  he  had,  above  all,  the 
Lord's  work   at   heart.      He   preached   generally   without  notes,   and 


BIOGRAPJIICAL  209 

though  wanting  perhaps  in  the  logical  method  secured  by  thorough 
training,  he  had  an  aim  before  him  in  every  sermon,  the  conversion 
and  sanctification  of  souls.  The  earnest  manner  and  godly  devotion 
of  the  man  commanded  universal  reverence.  People  were  glad  to  see 
him  in  all  the  neigh])oring  pulpits.  He  was  a  favorite  at  Hanover, 
where  the  students  never  criticised  him.  They  saw  in  him  something 
higher  than  the  rules  of  rhetoric  or  mere  human  culture,  something  that 
silenced  and  overawed  criticism.  Speaking  in  this  simple,  artless  man- 
ner he  would  nevertheless,  often  rise  to  a  high  degree  of  natural  elo- 
(juence.  A  remarkable  man,  eminently  consecrated  to  his  work,  he 
combined  every  gift  of  piety  and  talent  directly  to  glorify  God. 

"He  was  settled  on  a  salary  of  $600;  in  some  years,  I  am  told,  re- 
ceiving not  more  than  one  half  of  it.  In  his  later  vears  he  l)ecanie 
nearly  or  quite  blind." 

In  his  domestic  life  Mr.  Gocldard  seems  to  have  seen  manj-  sorrows. 
He  buried  two  wives,  and  it  was  his  lot  to  stand  at  the  graves  of  sev- 
eral grown  up  children.  His  first  wife,  Abigail  Goddard  of  Athol, 
Mass.,  died  at  Norwich,  Jan.  23,  1823,  aged  48,  just  about  one  year 
after  his  settlement.  His  second  wife,  Prudence  Hayward  of  Lunen- 
burg, Yt.,  died  at  Freedom,  Portage  Co.,  Ohio  in  1840,  after  a  sickness 
of  four  and  one  half  months,  where  she  had  gone  the  previous  yeai' 
with  ]\Ir.  Goddard  to  care  for  his  sick  daughter  Elizabeth.  Her  age 
at  death  was  60  vears.* 

Eunice  Hutchinson  of  Norwich,  his  third  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
1841,  survived  him  36  years,  dying  in  1880  at  the  age  of  88. 

Of  Mr.  Goddard 's  eight  grandchildren,  the  oldest  is  the  daughter  of 
his  youngest  son.  She  recalls  Avith  marvelous  clearness  the  loving  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  when  he  told  her  the  story  of  Jesus,  and 
as  the  years  go  by  that  impression  grows  more  vivid  in  her  memory. 

Rev.  Samuel  Goddard  was  known  to  his  friends  in  Norwich,  it 
is  thought,  for  almost  anything  rather  than  as  a  writer  of  poetry.  In 
his  early  years,  however,  he  seems  to  have  given  many  leisure  hours  to 
the  composition  of  verses.    One  of  his  grandchildren.  Miss  Ellen  God- 

*Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goddard  left  Norwich  for  Ohio,  July  14,  1839,  and  he  did  not  return 
until  May  23,  1840.  During  his  absence  Mr.  Goddard  preached  a  part  of  the  time  at  free- 
dom, Ohio,  where  he  was  invited  to  settle. 

Samuel  Goddard,  Jr..  removed  to  Ohio  with  his  family  in  1841. 


210  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

rlard,  has  in  her  possession  a  small  manuscript  volume  containino:  about 
fifty  short  pieces,  written,  with  few  exceptions,  previous  to  his  enter- 
ing" the  ministry. 

All  are  pervaded  by  a  deep  religious  tone  and  express  the  spiritual 
longings  of  one  whose  whole  nature  was  strongfly  moved  by  the  contem- 
plation of  the  great  problems  of  duty  and  destiny. 

They  embody  the  private  experience  of  a  man  earnestly  engaged  in 
working  out  for  himself  a  solution  of  these  ever-recurring  questions  of 
the  inner  life. 

After  entering  upon  his  life  work  as  a  minister  he  seems  to  have 
seldom  indulged  his  early  fancy  for  rhyming. 


JOHN  HATCH,  ESQ., 

The  elder  of  the  brothers,  John  and  Joseph,  was  born  at  Preston, 
Conn.,  June  9,  1727 ;  came  to  Norwich  in  the  earliest  days  of  its  settle- 
ment and  founded  his  home  on  the  hill  farm  owned  and  occupied  at  a 
later  day  by  Deacon  John  Dutton. 

At  a  proprietors'  meeting  at  Mansfield,  Conn,,  in  1766,  Mr.  Hatch 
was  elected  one  of  the  selectmen  of  Norwich ;  at  a  town  meeting  at  the 
latter  place,  held  in  1769,  he  was  elected  selectman,  town  clerk  and 
one  of  a  committee  of  five  to  lay  out  highways  ' '  where  they  shall  think 
needful."  He  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  continuously  until  1780, 
except  for  the  year  1766,  when  it  was  filled  by  Peter  Olcott. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  a  practical  surveyor  of  land,  and  his  services  were 
much  in  request  for  that  purpose.  He  made  the  survey  of  Norwich 
into  lots  in  1766,  and  laid  out  in  person  most  of  the  highways  in  town 
during  the  first  twenty-five  years  after  its  settlement.  In  1778  he  was 
employed  to  make  a  survey  of  the  town  of  Hartford  into  lots,  under  the 
direction  of  Benajah  Strong  and  Israel  Gillett,  a  committee  of  that 
town.  At  that  time  he  held  the  office  of  county  surveyor  of  Cumber- 
land county,  by  the  appointment  of  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
Vermont.  April  10,  1772,  he  was  commissioned  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  Gloucester  county  by  AVilliam  Tryon,  the  royal  governor  of  New 
York.  He  executed  the  duties  of  this  office  for  several  years,  probably 
luilil  the  establishment  of  state  government  by  Vermont  in  1778. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  211 

Mr.  Hatch  married  Sarah  Richards  at  Preston,  Conn.,  April  7,  1748. 
Their  children  were  Benjamin,  born  Dec.  16,  174-;  Alphens,  born 
Dec.  22,  1750;  Ashur,  born  Ang.  27,  1752;  Rizpah,  born  Sept.  30, 
1754 ;  Adrian,  born  Jnly  7,  1756 ;  Naomi,  born  Dec.  9,  1758,  married 
Jeremiah  Percival,  Dec.  9.  1799 ;  John,  born  June  8,  1761 ;  Harper, 
born  Ano\  12,  1763;  Sarah,  boi-n  Dec.  9,  1769,  married  Jehiel  Board- 
man,  March  19,  1789. 

]\Ir.  Hatch  died  April  24,  180.6,  asred  seventy-nine  years,  preceded  by 
his  wife,  April  13  of  the  same  year,  a<]:ed  seventy-eio:ht  years. 

Two  of  his  sons,  John  and  Alphens,  settled  on  farms  near  their 
father's  home,  the  former  on  the  place  known  in  later  years  as  the 
Neal  farm,  and  the  latter  on  the  farm  now^  occnpied  by  Charles 
Swasey,  both  farms  being  on  the  range  of  hills  next  west  of  Norwich 
village. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  a  son  of  John  and  Jernsha  (Herrick)  Hatch,  who 
were  married  at  Preston,  Conn.,  Augnst  31,  1726,  to  whom  were  born 
John  (the  snbject  of  this  sketch)  ;  Elizabeth,  May  12,  1731,  who  mar- 
ried Major  Thomas  iMnrdock ;  Rnfns,  Dec.  5,  1735 ;  Joseph,  May  13, 
1738 ;  Ennice,  Jnne  16,  1741,  who  married  Lient.  Elijah  Gates,  Novem- 
ber   ,  1769. 

John  Hatch,  senior,  died  in  the  year  1751. 


CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HATCH 

Came  to  Norwich  with  his  elder  brother,  John,  and  located  at  the 
sonth  end  of  NorAvich  Plain,  where  he  bnilt  himself  a  log  cabin  on  a 
site  near  the  bnilding  now  standing  and  formerly  nsed  by  the  late 
David  Merrill  for  a  paint  shop.  Subsequently,  in  1771,  he  built  the 
house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Avay  (now^  known  as  the  Messenger 
house)  Avhich  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  frame  dwelling  house 
erected  at  the  Plain.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  land, 
embracing  much  of  the  southern  and  eastern  parts  of  the  Plain,  to  the 
Hartford  line. 

Mr.  Hatch's  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Brown,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children,  one  of  whom,  Elizabeth,  died  October  7,  1776.    For  his  second 


212  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

wife  he  married  Hannah  Freeman,   in   1773,   and  they  became  tke 
parents  of  six  children. 

Captain  Hatch  was  73  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  decease  in 
town  in  1811.  His  first  wife  died  in  1773  and  his  second  wife  in  1810, 
nged  69  years. 


HONORABLE  REUBEN  HATCH 

AVas  born  at  Preston,  Conn.,  Jnly  7,  1763,  and  came  to  Norwich  at 
an  early  age  with  his  father,  Joseph  Hatch.  He  entered  Dartmouth 
College  in  1782,  bnt  was  unable  to  complete  his  course  of  studies  there 
by  reason  of  ill  health.  Afterwards  he  turned  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  became  a  successful  farmer ;  residing  at  different 
times  at  Tunbridge,  Chelsea  and  Weathersfield. 

[From  "Life  and  Times  of  William  Jarvis"  we  make  the  following 
extracts:] 

"]\Ir.  Reuben  Hatch  came  from  Norwich  to  Weathersfield  Bow^  and 
bought  the  large  brick  house  built  bv  a  Mr.  Jennison,  and  considerable 
other  property.  He  had  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  *  *  * 
y^Y.  Hatch  also  bought"  (soon  after,  probably)  "Mr.  George  Lyman's 
house,  tavern  and  store,"  (at  the  Bow)  "and  Mr.  Lyman  returned  to 
Hartford,  Conn." 

"In  1801  or  '02  Mr.  Francis  Goodhue  bought  all  of  Mr.  Hatch's 
property  except  the  Lyman  house  and  a  small  store.  Mr.  Hatch  then 
returned  to  Norwich,"  [another  account  says  he  returned  to  Norwdch 
in  1808.] 

Mr.  Hatch  represented  Tunbridge  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1792, 
'93  and  '95,  Chelsea  in  1797,  '98  and  1801 ;  was  councillor  in  1808. 

He  was  candidate  for  town  representative  from  Norwich,  but  was 
defeated  by  Pierce  Burton,  and  again  defeated  for  the  same  office  in 
1812  by  Dr.  Israel  Newton. 

Air.  Hatch  w^as  married  to  Eunice  Dennison,  and  they  had  ten  chil- 
dren. One  daughter  married  Darius  Jones  of  Weathersfield  and 
Windsor;  one,  Harriet  IT.,  married  Rev.  Abraham  Peters,  a  dis- 
tinguished   clergyman    and   author,    October   25,    1819 ;    one   married 


BIOGRAPHICAL  213 

Joseph  Cutting  of  Weathersfield,  who,  afterwards,  lived  at  Norwich 
and  built  and  occupied  the  hou:e  now  owned  by  David  Stewart,  and 
later  moved  to  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  one  other  daughter  became  the  wife 
of  Judge  iMilo  L.  Bennet  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Vermont.  The 
sons  were :  Dr.  Horace,  Joseph  D.,  and  Albert. 

Mr.  Hatch  died  at  Norwich  Jan.  5,  1818,  aged  55  years.     His  wife 
died  in  1842,  at  the  age  of  78  years. 


DOCTOR  HORACE  HATCH 

The  son  of  Honorable  Reuben  and  Eunice  (Dennison)  Hatch,  was 
born  at  Tunbridge,  Vt.,  ]\Iay  23,  1788.  He  was  educated  at  Dartmouth 
College,  where  he  graduated  in  1814,  and  studied  medicine  at  the  same 
institution,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1817.  He  settled  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Norwich  the  same  year,  where  he 
pursued  the  active  and  laborious  duties  of  a  country  physician 
for  twentv  vears.     He  married  Januarv  9,  1821,  Marv  Yates,  daugh- 

ter  of  Thomas  Smith.    His  children  were  born  here.    In  the  year , 

he  built  upon  nearly  the  same  ground  Avhere  Captain  Joseph  Hatch 
had  first  fixed  his  abode,  the  brick  dwelling  house,  now  the  residence 
of  Mrs.  Converse,  Avidow  of  Doctor  Shubael  Converse,  who  in  1837 
purchased  the  property  and  succeeded  to  the  business  of  Doctor  Hatch ; 
the  latter  removing  to  Burlington,  Vt.,  where  he  j)rosecuted  his  pro- 
fession for  another  period  of  twenty  years.  In  1861  Doctor  Hatch  ac- 
cepted an  appointment  in  the  Treasury  department  at  Washington 
where  he  continued  about  four  years.  While  thus  employed  he  ren- 
dered valuable  service  in  visiting  and  relieving  many  sick  and  wounded 
Vermont  soldiers  in  hospitals  in  and  about  Washington,  whose  days 
and  nights  of  suffering  were  cheered  by  his  kindly  sympathy  and  by 
delicacies  and  comforts  provided  from  his  generous  purse. 

In  1865  he  became  a  resident  of  New  York  city,  Avhere  he  died  Oct. 
28,  1873.  Mrs.  Hatch  had  died  previous  to  his  removal  from  Bur- 
lington. Doctor  Hatch  held  a  high  standing  as  a  physician  and  was 
distinguished  for  his  benevolent  and  amiable  disposition. 

His  son,  A.  S.  Hatch,  of  the  late  banking  house  of  Fisk  and  Hatch, 


214  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

was  well  known  in  financial  circles  in  the  metropolis,  and  throughout 
the  country  as  a  wealthy  and  public  spirited  citizen.  In  1883-4  he  was 
president  of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange.  He  has  devoted  largely 
of  his  time  and  fortune  to  the  establishment  and  support  of  city  mis- 
sions among  the  poor  and  destitute  of  the  great  city.  Hon.  Joseph 
D.  Hatch  of  Burlington,  and  Albert  G.  Hatch,  Esq.,  of  Windsor, 
were  younger  brothers  of  Doctor  Hatch. 


THE  HUTCHINSON  FAMILY 

[Previously  in  print] 

HUTCHINSON. — This  is  an  old  and  numerous  family  in  Norwich, 
as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  They  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  IMassachusetts  and  were  in  Lynn  and  Salem  in  that  colony 
as  early  as  1628,  or  1629.  A  descendant  of  these  early  colonists,  named 
Abijah,  who  was  a  tailor,  removed  from  Salem  to  Windham  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  His  son  Samuel,  born  about  1719,  in  company 
with  his  son,  John,  came  to  Norwich  in  1765.  They  cleared  an  island 
in  the  Connecticut  River,  opposite  the  present  residence  of  John  W. 
Loveland,  and  planted  it  with  corn.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  they  re- 
turned to  Connecticut,  and  in  company  with  a  younger  son,  Samuel, 
returned  in  the  spring  of  1766,  and  made  a  permanent  settlement. 
The  elder  Samuel  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  town,  and  died 
February  8,  1809.  His  wife  was  Jemina  Dunham;  she  died  January 
12,  1798.  Besides  the  two  sons  named  above,  he  had  three  daughters : 
Sarah,  married  Francis  Smalley;  Tabitha,  married  Jonathan  De- 
lano- Jerusha,  married  Nathan  Roberts.  They  all  died  young,  soon 
after  marriage. 

Hutchinson,  John,  son  of  Samuel,  was  born  in  1741,  in  Windham, 
Conn.,  and  married  Mary  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn., 
in  August,  1744.  He  enlisted  in  the  Continental  Army,  and  died  at 
Philadelphia,  June  22,  1778.  His  widow  afterwards  married  Solomon 
Strong.  His  children  were  Jerome ;  John,  who  removed  to  New  York 
State,  where  he  died:  Lydia,  who  was  probably  the  first  child  born 
in  Norwich,  married  D.  Hammond,  of  Thetford ;  and  Abigail,  marriec] 
Honorable  John  Strong  of  Woodstock,  Vt, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  21 5 

Hutchinson,  Jerome,  son  of  John,  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  ^larch 
2,  1763,  and  married  Content  Smith.  Their  children  were  John,  who 
emigrated  to  New  York  State,  where  he  died;  Fanny,  died  single; 
Sarah,  (deceased),  married  William  Loveland;  Cynthia,  (deceased), 
married  Asaph  Allen;  Sophia,  (deceased),  married  Andrew  J.  AVill- 
iams;  Mary  Ann,  (deceased),  married  Milo  Marsh;  and  William. 
Jerome  died ,  1849. 

Hutchinson,  William,  son  of  Jerome,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Vt., 
May  2,  1807,  and  married,  January  8,  1S32,  Eliza,  daughter  of  James 
and  i\Iary  (Bartlett)  Crary ;  she  was  born  April  2,  1807.  Of  their 
six  children  three  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are  John  W. :  Charles 
Henry,  proprietor  of  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  in  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  who  has  one  daughter,  Charlotte  Augusta ;  and  Frank,  a  farmer 
at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  also  connected  in  business  at  Manchester,  N.  H. 
He  has  two  daughters,  Martha  Belle  and  Arabella  Waterman. 

Hutchinson,  Samuel,  son  of  Samuel,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1751,  and  married  August  16,  1779,  Hannah  Burr ;  she  was 
born  IMarch  5,  1761.  They  had  fourteen  children:  Sarah,  married 
Alpheus  Hatch;  Ira,  died  at  fourteen  years  of  age;  Levi,  died  at  thir- 
teen years ;  Samuel ;  Jemima,  married  Seth  Stebbins ;  Perley ;  Eunice, 
married  Samuel  Goddard ;  Timothy ;  Betsey,  married  William  Dew^ey ; 
Levi,  died  in  Illinois;  Elihu,  died  in  infancy;  Emma,  married  Jonas 
Boardman ;  Hannah,  died  young ;  and  Austin,  died  in  Norwich  without 
issue.  Samuel,  Jr.,  died  September  30,  1839;  his  wife  November  11, 
1826. 

Samuel,  son  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Norwich,  April  12,  1786,  and 
died  Februarv  3,  1845.  He  married,  Februarv  26.  1818,  Sarah  Board- 
man ;  who  was  born  May  6,  1792,  and  died  February  14,  1847.  Their 
children  were  Eliza,  who  died  not  quite  three  years  of  age;  Charles, 
born  July  15,  1820,  is  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  resides  in  New  Al- 
bany. Ind. :  ]\Iaria,  wife  of  Reuben  Loveland  of  Hartford,  Vt. ;  Jonas 
Boardman,  died  young;  Samuel;  Sarah  Isabella,  a  widow,  married, 
jirst,  Brainard  French,  and  second  a  ]\rr.  Bosworth,  and  lives  at  Min- 
neapolis, ^linn. ;  Hannah  Eliza",  resides  in  Norwich:  Emma,  died  young, 
and  Ellen,  widow  of  John  O.  French,  lives  at  ]\Iaxwell,  la.,  were  twins; 
Emma  Elmina,  died  young;  Caroline  Frances,  married  (first)  William 
S.  Throckmorton,  and  (second),  Mr.  Eastman,  and  lives  in  Lyndon,  Vt. 


2l6  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Hutchinson,  Samuel,  son  of  Samuel,  2d.,  was  born  in  Norwich,  March 
28,  1826,  and  married  Parthenia  Blodgett.  They  had  four  children : 
Minnie  Barrett,  died  young ;  Charles  Ashley,  resides  at  Peacham,  Vt. ; 
Harriet  Maria,  and  Susan  Hazen,  wife  of  Harvey  Ladd,  of  Norwich. 
[The  following  interesting  account  of  the  advent  of  this  family 
into  Norwich,  is  a  statement  made  by  Jerome  Hutchinson  to  Rev- 
erend Charles  Hutchinson  of  New  Albany,  Ind.,  in  1846.] 

"I  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  March  2,  1763.  Was  two  and  one- 
half  years  old  in  August,  1765,  when  our  family  started  for  Vermont. 
My  father,  John  Hutchinson,  in  company  with  his  father,  Samuel, 
had  been  up  that  season  and  cleared  the  island  opposite  the  David 
Loveland  farm,  cutting  down  the  trees  so  that  the  spring  flood  swept 
the  island,  when  they  planted  it  with  corn  brought  from  Charleston, 
N.  H.  But  the  seed  failed  and  it  was  necessary  for  Mr.  Hutchinson 
to  make  the  journey  on  foot  to  Charleston  again  for  a  fresh  supply. 
After  planting  the  second  time  they  returned  to  Ashford  and  did  their 
haying,  after  which  John  and  family  set  out  for  Norwich.  IMy  grand- 
father was  to  move  with  us.  We  had  only  two  horses.  There  were 
no  roads  for  wagons.  Part  of  their  furniture  was  put  on  the  horse 
with  his  mother,  with  John,  the  baby,  five  months  old,  and  the  rest 
on  the  horse  he  himself  rode.  Fell  off  only  once- — where  a  large  pine 
log  lay  across  the  path  in  Lebanon.  Arrived  at  the  bank  of  the  Con- 
necticut, where  Hanover  bridge  now  is,  about  sundown.  Mrs.  Nathan 
]\Iessenger — the  only  woman  in  Norwich — heard  from  the  cabin  the 
cry  of  a  baby  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  'It  was  the  sweetest  cry 
I  ever  heard,'  was  her  expression  ever  after. 

"Of  our  passage  of  the  river,  the  only  thing  I  can  remember  is  the 
white  face  of  our  cow  as  she  swam  after  the  canoe.  There  were  not 
two  acres  of  cleared  land  in  town  at  that  time. 

"The  first  winter  we  passed  in  a  log  hut  in  the  meadow  ten  or 
twelve  rods  south  of  the  bridge.  Our  food  was  mainly  the  frost-bitten 
corn  raised  on  the  island  the  previous  summer.  Major  Murdock,  at 
work  near  us  in  the  spring  following,  brought  us  some  potatoes  to  roast 
for  his  dinner,  and  gave  me  and  John,  each,  one — tasted  good ! 

"Next  summer  (1776)  my  father  built  a  house  on  the  hill  back  of 
the  Lewis  place,  and  lived  there  two  or  three  years.  He  owned  one 
hundred  acres  on  the  Brown  Hill,  now  (1846)  owned  by  Cloud  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  21/ 

E.  B.  Brown.  Cleared  up  eight  or  ten  acres  and  lived  on  it  three  or 
four  years.  Then  swapped  for  the  'Tlopson  farm,'  but  before  moving- 
swapped  again  for  one  hundred  acres  on  Marshall  brook.  Here  we 
built  a  frame  house  which  was  burned  in  January  and  soon  replaced 
by  a  log  one.  The  cellar  of  this  house  is  now  (1846)  visible  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  below  the  Huggett  place.  As  wood  grew  scarce  we 
moved  to  the  hill  [where  C.  C.  Sawyer  lately  lived j  where  they  could 
make  sugar. 

"At  the  time  of  mv  father's  death  at  Vallev  P^orge,  June  22,  1778, 
our  family  were  living  on  the  Johnson  place,  nearly  in  front  of  the 
brick  schoolhouse  in  what  is  called  the  river  district. 


?  > 


THE  JOHNSON  FAMILY 

Were  numerously  represented  in  the  early  history  of  the  town.  Of 
this  family  there  were  several  branches.  Captain  Hezekiah  Johnson 
was  an  original  proprietor  of  the  town  and  one  of  its  earliest  settlers. 
He  settled  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Pompanoosuc  river  near  its  mouth 
and  fixed  his  residence  where  i\Ir.  Richard  Waterman  now  lives.  Cap- 
tain Johnson  was  born  in  AVoburn,  Mass.,  May  12,  1724,  but  emi- 
grated to  Norwich  from  Mansfield,  Conn.  He  married,  at  ^lansfield, 
Dorothv  Slafter,  sister  of  Deacon  John  Staffer,  Januarv  25,  1750. 
He  was  in  the  fullest  sense  one  of  the  "fathers  of  the  town."  He 
was  chosen  selectman  in  1765,  '67,  '68  and  '78  and  during  the  fifteen 
years  following  the  settlement  of  Norwich  held  all  the  most  important 
town  ofHces.  He  was  a  member  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  town 
that  laid  out  most  of  the  earliest  roads  in  town :  was  also  one  of  the 
town  committee  of  safety  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  gave  to 
the  town  land  for  the  old  burial  ground  (about  two  acres),  which  lies 
opposite  the  place  of  his  residence  on  the  south  bank  of  Pompanoosuc 
river,  where  his  own  and  the  remains  of  his  family  are  buried,  to- 
gether with  many  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  northern  portion  of  Uie 
town.  He  gave  liberally  to  the  endowment  of  Dartmouth  College  in 
1770  (one  hundred  acres  of  land  and  also  a  contribution  in  money). 
He  is  described  as  a  man  of  "sound  judgment  and  benevolent  disposi- 
tion," 


2l8  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

Captain  Johnson  died  Dec.  22,  1806,  and  Mrs.  Johnson  died  April 
24,  1811. 

Samuel  Slafter  Johnson,  son  of  Hezekiah  Johnson,  and  the  only  one 
out  of  a  family  of  six  children  who  survived  him,  settled  in  Norwich, 
but  removed  late  in  life  to  the  state  of  New  York.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried and  raised  a  large  family  of  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
town. 

Dorothy,  daughter  of  Capt.  Hezekiah  Johnson,  married  Jeremiah 
Hedges  in  1784  and  settled  in  Norwich.  One  of  their  daughters,  Lu- 
cinda  Hedges,  married  Samuel  A.  Wright,  Jr.,  in  1810.  Another 
daughter,  Leanthy,  married  Joseph  Root,  also  of  Norwich,  whose 
descendants,  it  is  believed,  still  live  in  town. 

Mrs.  Hedges  died  September  16,  1804. 


THE  LEWIS  FAMILY 

[By  William  E.  Lewis,  Esq.] 

William  Lewis  and  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  Naomi,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  (Joseph,  his  eldest  son,  having  been  a  citizen 
of  the  town  for  some  years)  came  to  Norwich  in  1781  or  1782  from 
Windsor,  Hartford  county.  Connecticut,  and  settled  on  a  farm  now 
owned  by  Benjamin  Clifford,  where  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  1787  he  purchased  the  farm  now  occupied  by  John  W.  Hutchinson. 
From  time  to  time  he  added  to  it  by  purchase  until  at  his  death  it  con- 
tained 250  acres  of  good  land,  mostly  covered  with  a  large  growth  of 
timber.  This  farm  came  into  the  possession  of  Noah  Lewis,  youngest 
son  of  William  (by  will),  who  owned  and  occupied  it  until  1815, 
when  he  sold  it  to  Moses  Davis,  for  $8,000,  and  himself  and  family 
emigrated  to  Kentucky.  This  farm  remained  in  possession  of  the 
Davis  family  for  more  than  forty  years. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  by  trade  a  blacksmith  and  carried  on  that  business 
for  a  number  of  years  in  a  shop  that  stood  near  Avhere  O.  W.  Hazen 
lately  lived. 

From  the  time  Mr.  Lewis  became  a  citizen  of  the  town  he  took  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL  219 

active  part  in  the  maiiajiement  of  its  affairs.  He  was  chosen  moder- 
ator and  selectman  in  1784  and  '85,  and  ao-ain  moderator  and  select- 
man in  1786,  '87,  '8S,  '89,  '92,  '93,  '95  and  '96. 

iAIr.  Lewis  died  Dec.  15,  1806,  and  his  wife  April  28,  1803. 


DOCTOR  JOSEPH  LEWIS 

Doctor  Lewis  was  the  son  of  William  and  Naomi  Lewis,  was  born 
at  Old  Lyme,  Conn.,  in  Xovember,  1746,  and  came  to  Norwich,  Vt., 
in  1767. 

Dnrino"  his  minority  vonnu'  Lewis  showed  a  fondness  for  the  stndv 
of  medicine  and  devoted  mnch  of  his  time  during  the  last  years  pre- 
vious to  his  leaving  Connecticut  to  the  study  of  that  science.  After 
settling  in  Norwich  he  devoted  a  year  or  two  to  further  stndv,  after 
which  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  and  continued  in  prac- 
tice for  more  than  fifty-five  years.  During  a  large  portion  of  this 
time  (from  1785  to  1820)  his  practice  was  large,  and  extended  not  only 
thi'ough  Norwich  but  into  Thetford,  Sharon,  Hartford  and  Strafford 
in  Vermont,  and  to  Lebanon,  Hanover  and  Lyme,  N.  H.  The  larger 
part  of  this  practice  was  performed  on  horseback.  In  the  winter 
when  the  roads  becam.e  impassable  for  horses,  the  doctor  resorted  to 
snow  shoes,  guided  through  the  wilderness  by  blazed  trees;  always 
ready  to  do  what  he  could  to  relieve  the  sufferino-  and  the  ills  of  the 
settlers  of  those  days.  No  plea  of  inclement  weather  or  poor  health 
was  made  in  order  to  shirk  his  duty  in  visiting  the  sick.  The  poor 
and  destitute  were  welcome  to  his  services  and  none  who  showed  a 
desire  to  pay  were  pressed  to  do  so. 

Doctor  Lewis  was  married  in  1771  to  Experience  Burr,  a  lady  well 
qualified  to  fill  the  position  of  wife  of  a  physician  of  the  times  in 
which  they  lived.  Bv  her  he  had  eiaht  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters.  Three  of  the  sons,  Lyman,  Joseph  and  Enos,  studied 
medicine  at  the  Dartmouth  medical  college.  Lyman  and  Enos  settled 
in  Norwich  and  Joseph  in  Waterbuiy,  where  they  became  successful 
practitioners.  Joel,  the  other  son,  was  an  invalid  from  childhood  and 
remained  at  home.     One  of  the  daughters,  Naomi,  died  in  infancy; 


220  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

Lucy  died  at  the  age  of  four  years ;  Naomi,  2d.,  married  Doctor  David 
Fisk;  Alpa  married  Abel  Partridge,  Esq.,  of  Norwich  [Vt.] 

The  doctor  first  resided  in  a  log  house  which  stood  about  half  a 
mile  southwesterly  from  Norwich  villa g-e  and  about  sixtv  rods  from 
Gideon  Lord's  farm  house  [now  ^lyron  Armstrong's],  where  he  re- 
sided for  a  number  of  years.  In  1793  he  purchased  of  Aaron  Storrs 
the  large,  two-story  dwelling  house  which  stood  where  Edward  ^I. 
Lewis  resided  (now  the  house  of  his  widow),  together  with  100  acres 
of  land  contiguous  with  a  gristmill  and  sawmill  standing  on  the  same 
site  that  the  Doctor  Rand  mill  now  occupies.  On  this  farm  the  doctor 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  In  1800  he  purchased  of  Solomon 
Curtis  the  farm  now  o\^^led  and  occupied  by  Henry  S.  Goddarcl, 
which  adjoined  his  home  farm  on  the  west.  This  farm  remained  in 
the  possession  of  the  Lewis  family  forty-three  years. 

In  November,  1829,  the  doctor's  dwelling-house  and  buildings  ad- 
joining, together  with  the  furniture,  library  and  provisions  in  store 
for  the  winter,  were  consumed  by  fire.  They  were  wholly  uninsured. 
From  this  time  his  health  rapidly  failed. 

Doctor  Lewis  was  a  man  of  undoubted  integrity.  He  had  decided 
convictions  and  never  hesitated  to  express  them  when  necessary.  He 
was  social  in  his  habits  and  fond  of  the  society  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors.  He  had  sound  judgment  and  great  self  reliance.  He  was 
a  great  reader  and  well  informed  on  all  the  general  matters  of  the 
day.  He  was  neither  an  office  seeker  nor  office  holder.  Although  often 
urged  by  his  townsmen  to  accept  office,  he  invariably  declined.  Owing 
to  party  dissensions  at  the  time,  he  was  elected  town  representative 
at  the  September  election  in  1808.  At  the  next  election  he  declined 
to  be  a  candidate. 

In  1775  Doctor  Lewis  suspended  his  practice,  temporarily,  having 
been  appointed  surgeon's  mate  and  ordered  to  join  the  projected  ex- 
pedition by  General  Washington  against  Quebec  by  way  of  the  Ken- 
nebec river.  The  arduous  enterprise  was  committed  to  Colonel  Bene- 
dict Arnold.  After  surmounting  incredible  difficulties  and  hardships 
the  expedition  appeared  before  Quebec  on  the  9th  of  November  of  that 
year  and  was  present  at  the  assault  on  that  place  by  the  troops  under 
the  command  of  General  Montgomery,  when  that  gallant  officer  was 
slain. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  221 

f 

During  the  Avinter  of  1775-6  Doctor  Lewis  was  engaged  in  the  hos- 
pitals, mostly  in  treating  soldiers  who  had  taken  the  smallpox.  Having 
passed  through  most  of  the  campaign  in  Canada,  he  resigned  his  office, 
returned  to  Xorwich,  and  resumed  his  practice. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  1780,  Doctor  Lewis,  on  horseback,  with  his 
son  Jjvman,  five  vears  old.  behind  him.  was  visitinc:  his  patients  at 
quite  a  distance  from  his  home,  when  he  heard  that  the  Indians  Avere 
at  Royalton  and  had  burned  that  place.  He  took  his  little  son  from 
the  horse,  gave  him  instructions  how  to  find  his  way  home,  borrowed 
a  gun  from  a  neighbor  and  immediately  left  for  the  field  of  conflict. 

Doctor  Lewis  died  June  1,  1833.    His  wife  died  Jan.  18,  1819. 


DOCTOR  ENOS  LEWIS 

The  youngest  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  and  Experience  (Burr)  Lewis,  was 
born  at  Norwich,  Jan.  19,  1784;  studied  medicine  with  his  father  and 
at  Dartmouth  ^Medical  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1804;  surgeon 
in  the  U.  S.  Army,  1808-1810;  afterwards  practiced  his  profession  in 
Norwich.  He  married  Katurah,  daughter  of  Beebe  Denison  of  Ston- 
ington,  Conn.,  at  Norwich,  June  28,  1812,  by  whom  he  had  five  chil- 
dren. 

Doctor  Lewis  died  at  his  home  in  Norwich,  on  the  site  of  the  resi- 
dence of  the  late  George  W.  Kibling,  September  14,  1823.  He. was  a 
scholarly  man,  of  sterling  integrity,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  fellow  men.  During  the  years  of  his  enforced  retire- 
ment he  devoted  himself  to  the  instruction  of  young  men  who  were 
pursuing  the  study  of  medicine,  and  his  boys,  for  whose  education  he 
had  the  greatest  anxiety.  Largely  for  their  benefit  he  collected  his 
library,  which  at  his  death  numbered  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand 
volumes,  a  lai-ge  portion  of  which  was  burned  with  the  old  homestead. 

In  his  profession — though  he  was  in  active  practice  but  seven  years 
--he  attained  unusual  success.  He  acquired  a  wide  celebrity  in  the 
treatment  of  spotted  fever,  which  prevailed  epidemically  during  his 
early  practice,  and  took  high  rank  as  a  surgeon,  often  being  called  in 
consultation. 


222  lllSTORY   OF   NORWICM 

GEN.  WILLIAM  E.  LEAVIS, 

[By  the  Editor'] 

Son  of  Dr.  Enos  Lewis,  was  born  here  May  25,  1815.  He  married, 
March  26,  18-16,  Ruby  W.,  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Hazen,  to  whom  were 
born  six  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  early  life;  the  remaining  ones, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  are  established  in  homes  of  their  own. 

General  Lewis  was  in  public  office  as  early  as  1838,  and  thereafter 
was  continuously  in  town  office  until  the  time  of  his  decease,  January 
5,  1892,  during  that  period  serving  in  nearly  every  elective  office  within 
the  gift  of  his  people.  He  was  town  clerk  for  forty-nine  consecutive 
terms.  In  the  years  1856,  1857,  1863,  1872-3,  1878-9,  he  represented 
his  town  in  the  state  legislature ;  from  1863  to  1871  was  assessor  of 
internal  revenue  for  the  collection  district  in  which  he  resided. 

The  General  was  much  interested  in  military  matters ;  at  different 
times  serving  as  Adjutant,  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Colonel,  and 
Brigadier-General  in  the  State  Militia. 

It  was  not  alone  as  the  faithful,  competent  and  long  serving  public 
officer  that  General  Lewis  best  served  his  people,  but  with  equal  fidelity 
he  gave  wise  and  safe  counsel  to  those  who  appealed  to  him. 

His  passing  away  called  forth  the  following  resolutions  by  the  voters 
of  Norwich  at  the  annual  toAvn  meeting  next  after  his  decease : 

''Whereas,  in  the  course  of  Providential  dispensation  our  esteemed 
fellow  townsman,  General  William  E.  Lewis,  has  latelv  been  taken 

/  ,  «.■ 

from  our  midst,  and 

""Wl^ereas,  we,  the  voters  of  Norwich  in  town  meeting  assembled, 
desire  to  give  formal  expression  of  our  esteem  for  the  deceased,  it  is 
hereby 

''Resolved,  that  in  the  private  walks  of  life  General  Lewis  was  a 
living  example  of  a  worthy  and  upright  citizen,  and  in  official  life 
a  true  and  tried  public  servant  of  unblemished  integrity,  and  further 

"Resolved,  that  these  resolutions  be  placed  upon  the  public  records 
of  the  town." 


THE  LORD  FAMILY 
Jonathan,  Jr.,  and  David  Lord,  the  first  of  the  name  to  locate  in 
Norwich,  came  from  Colchester,  Conn.,  (in  what  year  is  not  definitely 


COL.    WM.    E.    LEWIS 


BIOGRAPHICAL  223 

known,  probably  about  1773).  They  were  two  of  several  children  born 
to  Jonathan  and  Rnth  Lord  of  that  place. 

eJonathan,  Jr.,  was  born  February  17,  1752;  was  a  voter  in  Norwich 
in  1784.  He  married,  in  October,  1782,  ]\Iary  Smith,  and  their  cliil- 
dren  were:  Porter,  Russell,  John,  Polly,  Lydia,  John  Proctor  and 
Rachel. 

Mr.  Lord  died  at  Norwich  February  27,  1821. 

David  Lord  was  born  at  Colchester  Aus:ust  4,  1756,  and  died  at 
Norwich  January  25,  1803.  He  married  Hannah  Hanks,  by  whom 
he  had  eight  children :  Asa,  born  in  Norwich,  October  14,  1783,  married 
(first)  Ruth  Howe,  and  their  children  were,  Ira,  who  died  in  Thetford, 
Vt. ;  Lyman  (deceased);  Abigail  (deceased),  married  William  Cum- 
mmgs;  Laura  (deceased),  married  Tarbell  Senter;  Gideon,  born  in 
Norwich,  Sept.  8,  1814,  and  died  here  Apr.  9,  1898,  married  Belisant 
Clough;  Amasa  C,  removed  to  Illinois,  after  graduating  from  Dart- 
]nouth  College  in  1843,  and  died  at  Somonauk,  that  state;  Laura (  de- 
ceased), married  Jonathan  S.  Lord;  Mills  A.,  married  Livia  Seaver 
of  Norvvich,  daughter  of  Captain  Calvin  Seaver.  Asa  Lord  married 
(second)  Amelia  Root  of  Norwich,  and  their  children  were,  Frances 
Amelia,  Abel,  Emma  A.,  ]\L  Ellen,  William,  Henry  and  Persis. 

John  (son  of  Jonathan,  Jr.)  was  born  in  Norwich,  August  1,  1782, 
and  died  in  town  June  19.  1882.  He  married  Lucy  Bliss,  to  whom 
were  born  David  Bliss  (died  in  Norwich)  ;  Jonathan  Smith  (deceased), 
Lucius  Stebbins ;  John  IMills,  a  Congregational  clergyman  at  Wey- 
mouth, ]Mass. ;  Harriet  A.,  who  married  John  Dutton;  Lucy  Isabella, 
widow  of  Augustus  Chandler;  and  Horatio  and  Albinus. 


LOVELAND  FAMILY 

•  3Iiss  Mary  A.  Lov eland 

One  of  the  farms  in  NorAvich  still  (1904)  owned  and  occupied  by 
descendants  bearing  the  name  of  the  original  settlers,  belongs  in  the 
Loveland  familv. 

Joseph  Loveland  was  born  in  1747.  in  Connecticut ;  moving  from 
that  state  to  Dartmouth  College,  Hanover  township,  N.  IL,  where  he 


:^24  HISTORY   OF   NOKWIClt 

enlisted  to  reinforce  the  Continental  Army  at  Ticonderoga.  In  177§ 
he  settled  on  a  now  fertile  farm,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Nor- 
wich village,  building  a  hom.e  a  little  off  the  river  road.  Ten  of  his 
thirteen  children  were  born  in  town,  and  six  of  them  made,  during 
most  of  their  lives,  their  native  place  their  home ;  dying,  with  one  ex- 
ception, in  the  town,  at  an  average  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Aaron,  one  of  Joseph's  older  sons,  familiarly  known  as  "The 
Judge,"  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  the  same  class  as  Daniel  Web- 
ster, with  whom  he  roomed  during  part  of  his  college  course.  Being 
the  best  Greek  scholar  of  his  class,  he  had  an  oration  in  that  language 
at  Commencement.  Though  a  lav\yer  he  lived  the  life  of  a  recluse ; 
he  was  ever  a  conservator  of  the  peace  rather  than  an  instigator  of 
litigation.  He  represented  Norwich  several  times  in  the  legislature, 
and  was  Chief  Judge  of  Windsor  County  court  in  1823.  He  died  in 
1870,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

David  Loveland,  the  next  younger  brother  of  Aaron,  made  farming 
his  chief  business,  at  which  he  worked  early  and  late,  with  good  suc- 
cess. A  few  years  before  his  death,  in  1828,  he  built  a  new  house 
on  his  river  farm,  about  three  miles  from  the  village.  As  his  father- 
less sons  grew  up  the  land  was  divided,  George  (1816-1889)  building 
another  house,  where  his  son  Edward  still  lives.  In  that  home  five 
children  were  brought  up  to  be  useful  members  of  society,  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  (Rubv  Hatch ")  celebrated  their  o-olden  wedding.  Be- 
sides  careful  attention  to  farming,  he  found  time  to  do  work,  both  in 
and  out  of  office,  in  the  interests  of  the  community. 

John  Wheatley  Loveland,  David's  youngest  son,  for  nearly  seventy- 
seven  years  lived  in  the  house  where  he  was  born,  and  there  he  died 
in  1901.  He  began  to  farm  for  himself  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  sup- 
plementing a  limited  education  by  study  and  reading  at  home.  He  did 
much  business  for  others  and  was  regarded  a  safe  counselor.  For 
forty  years  or  more  he  served  the  town  in  some  capacity  as  an  officer, 
being  twice  elected  to  the  legislature,  and  was  of  especial  service  as 
selectman  and  recruiting  officer  during  the  Civil  War. 

William  Loveland,  the  fifth  son  of  Joseph,  succeeded  his  fathei'  on 
the  original  homestead,  and  was  called  "the  model  farmer."  He  was 
interested  in  natural  history  and  was  considered  an  authority  on  ani- 
mals, birds  and  flowers.     He,  too,  labored  in  behalf  of  the  town  both 


LOVELAND    HOMESTEAD 
BUILT    BY   JOSEPH    LOVELAND    IX    1 792 


BIOGkAPHICAt  225 

at  home  and  in  the  legislature.  His  oldest  son,  Joseph  Talcott,  kept 
up  the  old  home  until  his  death  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 
Some  one  said  of  him:  "He  exemplified  in  his  career  and  life  the  best 
type  of  that  class  of  American  citizens  followin<i-  agricultural  pur- 
suits." Of  strict  integrity,  he  was  honored  with  trusts,  both  public 
and  private,  including  four  elections  to  the  legislature.  His  brother 
Aaron  had  been,  for  some  years  before  Joseph's  death,  associated  with 
him  on  the  home  farm,  and  he  now  lives  in  the  big,  old  house,  while 
his  son,  Joseph  H,,  occupies  another  house  on  half  the  original  farm. 

David  A.  Loveland  (1839-1898),  eldest  son  of  George,  though  hav- 
ing for  some  years  business  elsewhere,  always  made  Norwich  his  home 
and  was  elected  to  various  town  offices.  He  represented  the  town  in 
the  legislature  and  was  later  a  senator  from  Windsor  county. 

The  Lovelands  were  by  inheritance  Federalists — then  Whigs,  then 
Republicans.  They  have  been  attendants  and  supporters  of  the  Con- 
gregational churches,  and  more  than  twenty  bearing  the  name  have 
been  at  some  time  members  of  the  village  church.  AVhile  being  in  this 
region,  in  the  main,  true  to  their  name,  and  lovers  of  country  life  and 
its  labors,  there  have  not  been  wanting  members  of  the  learned  pro- 
fessions in  the  family,  particularly  among  those  who  have  gone  away  to 
seek  their  fortunes  elsewhere.  Four  lawyers  of  the  name  were  born 
here,  and  several  have  been  teachers  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time. 

Some  of  Joseph  the  First's  descendants  may  be  found  in  many  states, 
and  following  various  lines  of  business,  and  different  professions. 

At  this  writing,  there  are  only  eight  who  bear  the  name  of  Loveland, 
in  town,  though  five  homes  are  kept  up  by  members  of  the  family,  and 
a  considerable  number  reside  here,  who  from  their  ancestry  are  entitled 
to  a  place  in  the  genealogy. 


THE   MESSENGER    FAI\HLY 

Nathan  and  Nathaniel  IMessenger  were  in  Norwich  at  an  early  day, 
the  former  as  early  as  1765,  at  which  date  he  built  his  cabin  in  the 
meadow  a  little  south  and  west  of  the  Norwich  terminus  of  the  bridge 
leading  to  Hanover,  N.  H. 


226  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

It  was  from  this  primitive  home  that  Mrs.  Messenger  heard  the  wel- 
come cry  of  the  baby  member  of  the  Hutchinson  family  as  they  were 
about  to  cross  the  river  to  enter  the  land  of  promise  on  the  Norwich 
side  of  the  stream. 

Soon  after  1766  (in  which  year  he  was  a  voter  in  town)  Mr.  Mes- 
senger disappeared — having  been  drowned  in  the  river,  it  is  thought. 

Nathaniel  Messenger  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  serv- 
ing in  a  New  Hampshire  organization,  and  thereafter  resided  in  Nor- 
which  until  about  1805,  when  he  deserted  his  family  and  went  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  where  he  again  married.  His  home  in  Norwich 
was  in  the  Pompanoosuc  section  of  the  town,  where,  so  we  are  in- 
formed by  one  of  his  sreat-srandsons,  he  was  in  trade,  and  built  a 
large  frame  house  on  the  road  to  Thetforcl. 

What  the  relationship  was,  if  any  existed,  between  Nathan  and 
Nathaniel  ^Messenger,  is  not  known  to  us. 

Oliver  Messenger,  a  son  of  Nathaniel,  married,  in  1803,  Charlotte 
Smith,  and  they  had  two  sons,  Erastus  and  Nelson.  Erastus  lived  for 
many  years  in  the  Hatch  house,  built  in  1773,  and  there  raised  a  large 
family  of  children,  of  whom  are  Norwich's  present  town  clerk  and 
treasurer,  George  Messenger,  and  Charles  and  Nelson,  residing  in  New 
Hampshire. 


THE  THOMAS  MURDOCK  FAMILY. 

Hon.  Thomas  Murdoek  removed  to  Norwich  from  Preston,  Conn., 
as  early  as  1767  (in  which  year  he  was  recorded  a  voter  in  town),  and 
located  on  the  farm  a  little  north  of  Norwich  Plain  and  subsequently 
occupied  by  Jared  Goodell,  George  Blanchard,  Harvey  Knights,  and 
now  bv  Judd  Leonard.  He  married  Elizabeth  Hatch  (sister  of  John 
and  Joseph  Hatch,  early  settlers  in  Norwich),  to  whom  were  born: 
Asahel,  Constant,  Jasper,  Thomas,  Jr.,  Anna,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Ebenezer  Brown,  Esq.,  the  first  lawyer  to  locate  in  Norwich,  and 
Margaret,  who  married  Elisha  Partridge,  November  14,  1765. 

Mr.  Murdoek  was  prominent  in  both  state  and  local  matters,  the 
offices  held  by  him  being  noticed  in  other  chapters  of  this  book.  He 
died  Dec.  5,  1803,  followed  by  his  wife  in  1814. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  22^ 

Asahel,  the  eldest  son,  was  a  voter  in  Norwich  as  early  as  1782.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Starkweather  in  1779,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  six  children.    He  returned  to  Connecticut  in  1800. 

Constant  was  a  voter  in  Norwich  as  early  as  1784.  By  his  first 
wife,  Sarah  Jewett,  he  had  one  child,  and  by  his  second  wife, 
Lucy  Riley,  he  had  eight  children.  His  home  was  in  the  fine  resi- 
dence now  occupied  by  Albert  Davis — on  the  hill  a  little  north  of 
Norwich  village.  He  died  in  Norwich  in  1828,  aged  67  years.  His 
first  wife  died  in  1790,  aged  22  years,  and  his  second  wife  in  1825, 
aged  48  years. 

Jasper  was  born  October  5,  1759.  It  is  likely  that  he  came 
to  Norwich  with  his  father.  He  erected  at  Norwich  Plain  an  elegant 
private  residence  (said  to  have  been  one  of  the  finest,  at  that  time, 
in  the  state),  with  large  and  attractive  grounds,  in  which  were  a  fish 
pond,  where  Charles  E.  Ensworth's  barn  stands,  and  a  flower  garden 
that  occupied  a  large  part  of  Mr.  Ensworth's  dooryard.  (Mr.  Ens- 
worth's  mother,  who  lived  in  those  days,  told  her  son  the  tale  of  the 
fish  pond  and  the  flower  garden,  and  it  is  from  him  we  get  the  story.) 
The  water  to  supply  the  pond  was  conveyed  in  bored  logs  from  a  spring' 
a  little  east  of  the  creamery  at  the  north  part  of  the  village.  Several 
years  since,  while  j\lr.  J.  S.  Currier  ^\'as  digging  a  ditch  on  his  prem- 
ises, he  came  across  some  of  the  logs,  which  were  then  in  a  fair  state 
of  preservation. 

Mr.  Murdock's  enclosure  included  the  present  premises  of  Mr.  Ens- 
worth  and  Dr.  Bowles,  and  extended  westerly  far  enough  to  take  in 
the  premises  where  Mrs.  Burton  and  Mrs.  Norton  reside,  and,  perhaps, 
the  Armstrong  meadow. 

Attached  to  the  main  body  of  the  house  were  two  wings,  the  south 
one,  (after  its  removal  to  its  present  site,  where  it  is  the  residence  of 
Charles  E.  Ensworth)  became  the  abiding  place  of  Judge  Aaron  Love- 
land,  and  in  the  north  one  Charles  Hutchins  kept  store.  At  a  later 
period  the  north  wing  was  the  family  home  of  James  S.  Currier  until 
its  destruction,  by  fire,  Dec.  29,  1889,  which  conflagration  consumed 
the  adjoining  main  part  of  the  Murdock  mansion  (then  owned  by  Dr. 
W.  S.  Bowles)  and  the  abutting  brick  building  on  the  south,  erected 
by  John  Wright,  Esq.,  in  1828. 


228  HISTORY   OF  NORWICH 

At  one  time  Dr.  Ira  Davis  kept  the  post  office  in  the  south  room  of 
the  Currier  house,  and  in  the  room  on  the  floor  over  the  post  office, 
Captain  Alden  Partridge  was  robbed,  about  1824,  of  about  $1,700  by 
one  Crowningshield,  a  cadet  at  the  military  school. 

Mr.  Murdock  married  (first)  Sarah  Olcott,  in  1786,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child,  and  (second),  Margaret  Olcott,  daughters  of  Hon.  Peter  Ol- 
cott. For  his  third  wife  he  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Rev.  Lvman 
Potter.  Himself  and  family,  with  ]\Ir.  Potter  and  his  family,  removed 
to  Ohio  in  1801,  and  there  he  died  in  1803. 

The  house  where  Joseph  Simoneau  lives  was  Mr.  Murdock 's  barn, 
and  was  sold  to  Col.  James  Dana,  who  moved  it  to  its  present  lo- 
cation and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling. 


DEACON    ISRAEL   NEWTON 

The  inventor  of  the  well  known  medical  preparations  widely  known 
as  "Newton's  Bitters,"  "Newton's  Pills,"  &c.,  and  sold  extensively 
for  many  years  throughout  New  England  and  New  York,  died  hei-e  in 
Norwich  in  Januarv,  1856,  seventv-three  vears  of  age. 

Doctor  Newton  was  a  thoroughly  educated  physician,  though  not  in 
general  practice  of  his  profession,  and  was  much  respected  as  a  man 
and  a  citizen.  Besides  his  medicines,  which  were  valuable,  he  invented 
and  built  a  church  organ,  which  was  placed  in  the  old  first  church 
and  was  there  used  for  many  years.*  He  was  gifted  with  rare  me- 
chanical skill,  which  he  exhibited  in  many  ways  to  the  benefit  of  man- 
kind.    His  name  and  memory  deserve  this  passing  word. 

Doctor  Newton  held  many  town  offices,  and  in  1814  represented  the 
town  in  the  general  assembly. 

He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  deacons  for  about  twenty-five  years,  beginning  in 
1812.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  last  of  those  soldiers 
to  die  in  Norwich. 


*At  a  town  meeting  held  at  Norwich,  March  25,  1814,  it  was  "  Voted  that  the  town 
Willing  to  have  an  organ  put  into  the  meeting  hoifse." 


REV.    X.   R.    NICHOLS 


BIOGRAPHICAL  229 

REV.  N.  R.  NICHOLS 

Whose  likeness  faces  this  pa^e,  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Norwich  village  from  February,  1880,  to  ]\Iay,  1904,  after 
completing  a  seven  years'  pastorate  at  Barnet,  Vt.,  which  was  pre- 
ceded by  brief  pastorates  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  and  Acworth,  N.  11. 
During  his  term  of  nearly  a  ([uarter  of  a  century  here  in  Norwich, 
Mr.  Nichols  faithfully  cared  for  the  interests  committed  to  his  charge, 
as  the  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  accessions  to  his  church  during  his 
pastorate  amply  indicate. 

Not  alone  to  matters  connected  with  his  church  did  he  give  his  at- 
tention, but,  as  well,  to  those  of  a  temporal  character ;  elevated  pleas- 
ures, as  he  viewed  them  from  his  conscientious  standpoint,  were  re- 
cipients of  his  countenance  and  active  aid. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Nichols  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Norwich 
public  library,  in  which  institution  he  had  a  deep  interest,  and  at  the 
front  entrance  to  the  library  building  he  caused  a  pretty  door  to  be 
placed  in  memory  of  his  deceased  wife. 

It  may  be  appropriate  to  place  at  the  conclusion  of  this  short  sketch 
of  the  late  pastor  a  few  words  from  the  presentation  address  ac- 
companying a  gift  of  silver  coin  to  IMr.  Nichols  on  the  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  of  his  marriage  r 

"We  love  and  honor  you  for  the  life  you  have  lived  among  us  and 
for  the  good  you  have  accomplished." 


HON.  PETER  OLCOTT 

Mr.  Olcott  was  born  at  Bolton,  Conn.,  April  25,  1733 ;  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Peletiah  Mills,  Esq.,  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  October 
11,  1759,  and  removed  to  that  place  in  1772.  That  year  or  the  fol- 
lowing one  he  came  to  Norwich,  Vt. 

He  was  the  oldest  of  his  parents'  four  children  (two  sons  and  two 
daughters),  and  the  only  one  of  them  to  come  to  Norwich  to  reside. 

]\Ir.  Olcott 's  name  first  appears  in  the  town  records  of  Norwich  in 
1773,  when  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  overseers  of  the  poor,  at  the 
annual  March  meeting.    He  early  took  a  leading  part  in  public  affairs 


230  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

in  his  new  home.  He  was  elected  to  the  most  important  town  offices, 
and  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading'  men  of  the  place. 

It  is  probable  that  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  means  when  he 
came  to  Norwich,  which,  united  with  his  superior  talents,  gave  him  a 
commanding'  influence  in  the  community.  The  next  year  (1774)  the 
annual  town  meeting  was  held  at  his  house,  and  such  meeting's  con- 
tinued to  be  so  held  until  1779,  after  which  they  were  held  at  the 
meeting  house,  except  in  severe  winter  weather. 

Probably  his  influence  was  potent  in  fixing  the  location  of  the  first 
meeting-  house  very  near  to  his  residence  and  upon  land  which  he  gave 
for  a  site.    He  also  gave  the  land  for  the  old  burying'  ground  adjoining. 

Mr.  Olcott  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  town,  being  chosen 
to  that  office  at  a  special  town  meeting  called  for  that  purpose  April 
7,  1778.  In  1777  he  was  colonel  of  the  militia,  and  was  summoned  to 
Bennington  with  half  of  his  regiment  by  the  Vermont  Council  of 
Safety  sitting  at  that  place,  a  few  days  previous  to  the  battle  there 
August  16,  1777,  but  not  soon  enough  to  participate  in  it.  He  was 
engaged  with  the  American  Army  in  the  operations  that  resulted  in 
the  surrender  of  Burgovne. 

The  following  offices  were  held  by  Mr.  Olcott :  Judge  of  County 
Court,  1781;  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  state,  1790-91-92  and  1793; 
Councillor,  1778-81  to  1791 ;  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly, 
1778  and  1801 ;  Commissioner  of  Sequestration  of  Tory  property,  1777 ; 
Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Vermont  Militia,  1776  to  1781 ; 
Brigadier  General,  Third  Brigade  in  the  same  service,  1781  to  1788 ; 
and  Trustee  of  Dartmouth  College,  1788  to  1808. 

He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Mills  Olcott,  at  Hanover,  N.  H., 
September  12,  1808,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

His  children  were  Pelatiah  Mills,  born  October  19,  1762,  and  died 
March  30,  1773. 

Peter,  Jr.,  born  April  16,  1764,  and  died  March  9,  1773. 

Timothy,  born  June  29,  1766,  and  died  in  1799,  at  Charleston,  S.  C, 
buried  at  Norwich. 

Roswell  O.,  April  11,  1768,  and  died  in  Broome,  Canada,  June  24, 
1841. 

Sarah,  born  December  9,  1769,  married  Colonel  Jasper  Murdock, 
January  18,  1786,  and  died  July  13,  1788,  leaving  an  infant  child. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  23I 

Sarah  Jane,  born  June  5,  of  the  same  year,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Honorable  Geor<ie  Blake  ol'  Boston,  Mass.,  June  25,  1810.  Mrs. 
Blake  died  in  1825  or  1826. 

Margaret,  baptized  May  17,  1772,  became  Jasper  IMurdock's  second 
wife.     She  died  without  issue  April  25,  1796. 

Mills,  born  at  Norwich  IMay  21,  1774,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Asa  Porter  of  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  December  15,  1800;  settled 
at  HanovTr,  X.  H.,  as  a  lawyer  in  1800,  and  died  there  July  11,  1845. 

Martha,  born  at  Norwich  September  25,  1779,  married  Benjamin 
l*orter,  a  son  of  Colonel  Asa  Porter  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  October  26,  1800, 
and  had  eight  children.    She  died  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  May  4,  1825. 

Governor  Olcott  was  of  direct  descent  from  Thomas  Olcott,  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  family  in  this  country,  who  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  to  which  place  he  removed  about  1635, 
from  near  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  there  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits. His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Porter.  Thomas  Olcott  died  in 
1654,  aged  forty-five  years. 

Deacon  Timothy  Olcott  (born  in  1677),  a  great-grandson  of  Thomas 
Olcott,  lived  in  Bolton,  Conn.,  and  his  son  Titus  was  born  there  in 
1705.  The  latter  married  Damaris  Marshall  (widow)  October  5,  1781, 
and  died  October  9,  1774.  He  was  the  father  of  Peter  Olcott,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 


THE  PARTRIDGE  FAMILY 

Samuel  Partridge,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Preston,  Conn.,  in  1721.  He 
married  Ruth  Woodward,  and  with  her  and  seven  of  their  children 
(one  son  remaining  in  Connecticut  to  care  for  the  ''old  folks")  came 
to  Norwich  for  a  permanent  settlement  about  1765,  and  settled  on  a 
hill  farm  about  one  mile  west  from  Norwich  village,  which  farm  re- 
mained in  the  possession  of  the  Partridge  family  for  three  generations, 
until  sold  by  the  representatives  of  the  estate  of  Abel  Partridge,  of 
the  third  generation,  to  the  late  Deacon  John  Dutton,  Avho  demolished 
the  old  mansion.  The  farm  is  now  owned  bv  the  widow  of  the  late  Am- 
brose  Currier. 


232  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

By  a  commission  issued  by  his  "Excellency,  Henry  Moore,  Baronet, 
Captain  General  and  Governor-in-Chief  in  and  over  the  Province  of 
X"ew  York,"  etc.,  bearing  date,  the  30th  September,  1776,  ]\lr.  Par- 
tridge was  made  a  lieutenant  in  the  "Regiment  of  Militia  Foot,  to  con- 
sist of  the  Inhabitants  of  Norwich  in  the  County  of  Cumberland,  in 
the  Province  of  New  York." 

Mr.  Partridge  died  in  Norwich  Aug.  2-4,  1826,  aged  eighty-five  years, 
and  his  wife  passed  away  April  29,  1786,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of 
her  age.     To  them  were  born  : 

Elisha,  who  married  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  ]\Iur- 
dock,  Nov.  14,  1765. 

Samuel,  Jr.,  married  Elizabeth  Wright,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Elizabeth  (Bliss)  Wright,  Dec.  6,  1770. 

Isaac,  who  married  Lois  Newton,  Nov.  3,  1785. 

Elias,  who  married  Sarah  Brown,  Dec.  31,  1788. 

Reuben,  who  remained  in  Connecticut  to  care  for  the  "old  folks." 
^^  Ephraim,  who  never  married ;  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the  enemy 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  died  in  captivity  in  Canada. 

Olive,  who  married  John  Wright,  son  of  Aaron  and  Elizabeth  (Bliss) 
Wright,  Sept.  27,  1768. 

Ruth,  who  married  Peter  Branch. 

Elisha,  Isaac,  Samuel,  Jr.,  and  Ephraim  were  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  .  ^ 


CAPT.  ALDEN  PARTRIDGE 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  son  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  and 
Elizabeth  (Wright)  Partridge,  and  was  born  at  Norwich,  Feb.  12, 
1785,  on  the  farm  where  his  father  and  grandfather  located  when  they 
came  to  this  town. 

lie  remained  at  home,  doing  the  work  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  sons 
of  New  England  farmers  in  those  days,  until  he  entered  Dartmouth 
College  in  1802.  He  continued  his  course  in  college  until  1805,  when 
he  entered  the  II.  S.  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  being  the  first 
person  from  his  native  town  to  enter  that  institution.    After  his  gracl- 


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BIOGRAPHICAL  233 

nation  at  the  academy  he  filled  many  positions  on  the  academic  staff 
there,  besides  beiu«^'  sn])erintendent  of  the  academy  at  different  times. 
In  1817  he  resiorned  his  commission  of  captain  in  the  corps  of  engi- 
neers. 

Captain  Partridge  was  chief  of  the  American  party  in  rnnninu:  a 
northeastern  bonndary,  in  1819,  between  this  conntry  and  Canada, 
nnder  the  Fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent ;  Surveyor  General 
of  Vermont,  1823 ;  represented  his  native  town  in  the  legislature  in 
1833,  1834,  1837,  and  1839;  three  times  his  party's  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, but  nnsuccessful,  as  the  district  was  largely  of  a  different  po- 
litical coloring.  In  1812,  Dartmouth  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  the  University  of  Vermont  did  likewise 
in  1821.  it  being  the  only  honorary  degree  conferred  by  that  corpo- 
ration that  year.  In  the  same  year  the  Presidency  of  that  insti- 
tution was  offered  him,  onlv  to  be  declined  bv  him. 

Captain  l^artridge  was  a  noted  pedestrian,  on  several  occasions 
walking  sixty  miles  a  day,  and  once  pacing  off  seventy  miles  within 
that  limit.  Once  when  returnins"  to  his  home  from  an  excursion  to 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  other  points  of  historic  interest  in  that  vicinity, 
he  averaged  fifty-four  miles  daily  for  three  consecutive  days,  crossing 
the  Green  ^Mountains  and  carrying  his  knapsack  and  barometer  (his 
inseparable  companions  on  all  his  pedestrian  excursions). 

It  has  been  said  of  him  bv  one  who  knew  him  well  in  his  vouth,  that 
he  was  never  known  to  utter  a  vulgar  or  profane  word,  or  a  by-word, 
or  to  use  tobacco  in  any  form.  Such  he  was  through  life,  and  a  most 
constant  attendant  upon  Sabbath  services. 

In  1837,  Capt.  Partridge  married  Ann  Elizabeth  Swasty,  daughter 
of  John  Swasey,  a  merchant  of  Claremont,  N.  II.,  and  to  them  were 
born  two  sons,  George  M.  C.  and  Henry  V.,  the  former  passing  away 
May  12,  1855. 

After  a  short  illness.  Captain  Partridge  died,  January  16,  1854,  in 
the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  followed  by  his  widow.  (J)et.  11,  1902, 
in  her  ninety-second  year. 


234  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

CAPTAIN  PARTEIDGE  AS  AN  EDUCATOR 

The  influence  of  Captain  Partridge  in  this  direction  was  important 
and  far  reaching-.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  point  out  the  vices  and 
defects  of  the  higher  education  of  his  time.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  the  physical  development  of  the  literary  and  student  class  has 
been  improved  within  the  last  half  century.  Captain  Partridge 
wrought  out  in  his  own  mind  a  scheme  of  education,  mental,  moral,  and 
physical,  that  was  thoroughly  practical  and  American.  He  then  set 
himself  to  establish  schools  wherein  his  ideas  could  be  carried  into 
operation.  These  schools  proved  a  great  success,  and  in  them  were 
trained  many  young  men  whose  services  to  the  country  have  proved  to 
be  of  the  highest  value.  His  capital  maxim  in  education  was,  me)is 
Sana  in  cor  pore  sano — a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body.  In  his  system 
of  education  he  combined  the  physical  training  of  the  Old  Greeks 
with  the  ardent  patriotism  of  the  Old  Romans,  and  added  thereto 
other  elements  original  with  himself,  and  then  Americanized  and  mod- 
ernized the  whole.  His  contribution  to  modern  education  was  import- 
ant, and  for  his  labors  in  this  direction,  Captain  Partridge  well  de- 
serves the  gratitude  of  his  countrymen  and  of  posterity.  We  have 
lived  to  see  the  defects  of  a  college  education  as  pointed  out  by  Captain 
Partridge  two  generations  ago  in  a  large  measure  corrected.  The 
gymnasium  is  now  an  essential  part  of  every  well-appointed  institution 
of  learning.  Manly  sports  and  games  everywhere  receive  large  and 
constant  attention. 

A  wide  option  of  elective  studies  is  now  offered  to  every  college  stu- 
dent in  place  of  the  old  inflexible  curriculum  of  strictl}^  scholastic 
training.  Industrial  education  is  everywhere  coming  into  use.  The 
natural  and  political  sciences  are  assiduously  cultivated  with  largely 
endowed  professional  chairs  in  all  the  universities,  and  every  facility 
given  for  acquiring  a  practical  education. 

Indeed  it  is  doubtful  if  the  idea  of  the  Agricultural  College  was 
not  original  with  Captain  Partridge  rather  than  with  our  Vermont 
Senator.  P'rom  a  lecture  given  by  Captain  Partridge  before  the  es- 
tablishment of  his  Military  Academy  at  Norwich,  in  1820,  I  quote 
the  following:  "In  a  country  like  ours,  which  is  emphatically  agri- 
cultural, I  presnme  it  will  not  be  doubted  that  a  practical,  scientific 


BIOGRAPHICAL  235 

knowleclg'e  of  aiiTieiilture  would  constitute  an  important  appendage 
to  the  education  of  every  American  citizen.  Indeed  the  most  certain 
mode  of  improving'  the  agriculture  of  the  country  will  be  to  make  it 
a  branch  of  elementary  education.  By  these  means  it  will  not  only  be 
improved,  but  a  knowledge  of  improvements  generally  disseminated 
among  the  great  mass  of  the  people  ...  "  After  outlining  a 
suitable  course  of  advanced  studies,  he  adds:  "To  the  institution  should 
be  attached  a  range  of  mechanic  shops,  where  those  who  possess  an 
aptitude  and  inclination,  might  occasionally  employ  a  leisTue  hour  in 
learning-  the  use  of  tools  and  the  knowledge  of  some  useful  mechanic 
art. ' ' 

What  is  this  but  Mr.  IMorrilTs  College  of  Agriculture  and  ^lechanic 
Arts  antedated  by  forty  years  ? 


General  Lewis  S.  Partridge,  son  of  Abel  and  Alpa  (Lewis)  Par- 
tridge, was  born  in  Norwich,  Vt.,  in  1818,  a  year  prolific  in  the  birth 
of  sons  in  town. 

In  early  life  he  served  in  clerkships  in  mercantile  business  in  Nor- 
wich, and  in  Hanover  and  Clarem^ont,  N.  H.  He  became  a  cadet  at  Nor- 
wich University  in  1833,  remaining  there  until  1836.  Later  on  he  en- 
tered into  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account  in  his  native  town.  He 
was  at  one  time  proprietor  of  the  "Union  Hotel,"  at  Norwich.  From 
early  life  ^Ir.  Partridge  took  an  active  part  in  politics  and  was  a  prom- 
inent factor  in  his  political  paity,  both  in  town  and  State.  He  repre- 
sented his  town  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1852  and  the  following 
year;  was  Adjutant  General  of  Vermont,  1852-1854;  postmaster  at 
Norwich,  1833,  1861,  and  1885;  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  of  1854. 

He  married  (first)  Harriet  Baxter  (.youngest  child  of  Ira  Baxter, 
of  Norwich),  June  16,  1846.  They  had  three  childi*en.  He  married 
(second)  P]lizabeth  Woodruff  of  Tinmouth,  Vt.,  and  to  them  Avere  born 
six  children,  now  living,  all  of  whom  and  their  mother  reside  at  .Man- 
chester, N.  H. 

General  Partridge  was  a  man  of  fine  physique  and  pleasing  address. 
He  died  at  Norwich.  May  22,  1885. 


236  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

REVEREND  LYMAN  POTTER 

Was  born  at  Salisbury,  Conn. ;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1772, 
and  three  years  later  (August  31,  1775)  was  settled  over  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Norwich,  Vt.  As  the  first  settled  minister  in  town 
he  received  the  grant  of  land  provided  in  all  the  New  Hampshire  town 
charters  for  this  purpose.  This  consisted  of  between  three  hundred 
and  four  hundred  acres.  Upon  this  land,  then  presumably  a  wilder- 
ness, Mr.  Potter  at  once  began  to  carve  out  a  farm  and  a  home.  The 
location  of  his  home  was  pleasant,  it  being  the  present  farm  of  Mr. 
Stillman  Armstrong,  still  familiarly  called  the  "Potter  place."  About 
one  year  si;bsequent  to  his  settlement  in  Norwich,  Mr.  Potter  married 
(September  1.  1776)  Abagail  Payne,  daughter  of  Colonel  Elisha 
Payne  of  Lebanon,  N.  H.  The  fruits  of  this  marriage  were  nine  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  six  daughters,  born  in  town.  The  ministry  of 
Mr.  Potter  covers  a  period  of  twenty-six  years  (1775-1801 ).  After  the 
year  1783,  his  salary,  which  ,^^'as  usually  £75,  was  raised  by  direct  tax 
upon  the  polls  and  rateable  estate  of  all  the  taxpayers  in  town,  and 
collected  by  a  special  officer  chosen  for  that  purpose  in  town  meeting. 
This  tax  was  called  the  "priest  rate"  and  was  rigidly  enforced  against 
all  who  did  not  produce  a  written  certificate  from  the  minister  or 
clerk  of  some  other  religious  sect  setting  forth  the  fact  of  their  mem- 
bership in  such  sect  or  denomination. 

The  professional  labors  of  the  first  minister,  it  is  believed,  were 
generally  acceptable  to  the  townspeople.  He  preached  long  expository 
sermons,  made  long  prayers,  and  used  many  long  metric  hymns  in  his 
services.  He  dressed  in  the  clerical  garb  of  his  day  with  loose  and 
flowing  coatskirts.  powdered  hair,  and  wore  a  three-cornered  cocked 
hat  of  the  continental  pattern.  Being  a  man  of  large  size  and  com- 
manding appearance,  he  was  an  object  of  considei'able  awe,  especially 
to  children  and  young  people,  who  on  his  coming  into  their  presence 
were  expected  to  show  especial  attention  and  courtesies,  which  he 
would  reward  with  a  pleasant  smile  and  a  few  kindly  words.  He  is 
said  to  have  been  very  punctual  in  visiting  the  schools  and  catechising 
the  children. 

Aside  from  his  professional  duties,  Mr.  Potter  was  a  practical  and 
successful  faimiei*  nnd  a  thriPty  manager  of  property.     He  reared  a 


BtOGRAPHICAL  2^"] 

larae  family  of  children,  two  of  his  sons  receivino*  a  colleiiiate  ednca- 
tion  at  Dartmouth  Colles:e,  where  one  (Lyman  Potter,  Jr^)  graduated 
in  1799,  the  othei"  in  1802. 

In  the  capacity  of  chaplain,  he  accompanied  the  regiment  or  half 
regiment  of  militia  that  was  called  out  to  meet  the  invasion  of  Bur- 
goyne's  army  in  the  autumn  of  1777,  from  this  and  neighboring  towns. 
On  the  convening  of  the  Vermont  legislature  at  Norwich  in  Jinie, 
1785,  the  "election  sermon,"  as  it  was  called,  was  preached  by  ^Ir. 
Potter,  as  also  at  Newbury  on  a  similar  occasion  in  the  fall  of  1787. 
In  his  pulpit  efforts  he  does  not  appear  to  have  been  especially  happy, 
his  delivery  being  marred  by  a  slight  impediment  in  speech,  and  by  a 
harsh,  shrill  voice.  He  was,  however,  considered  a  man  of  strong 
iuind,  and  won  the  respect  and  affection  of  his  parishioners,  from  whom 
he  received  many  tokens  of  their  regard.  Toward  the  last  of  his  min- 
isti'v,  it  is  hinted  that  he  allowed  his  farming  and  his  familv  and  sec- 
ular  affairs  to  encroach  too  much  upon  his  time,  to  the  neglect  of 
spiritual  duties.  However  that  may  be,  at  the  annual  town  meeting  in 
March,  1801,  Mr.  Potter  resigned  his  office  and  requested  a  dismission, 
which,  after  reference  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Governor  Brigham, 
Elisha  Burton,  and  Governor  Olcott,  and  after  due  negotiations,  was 
readilv  granted  and  the  official  connection  of  the  town  with  its  first 
minister  was  formally  severed  in  July  following. 

During  the  same  year,  ^Ir.  Potter  and  family,  with  the  family  of 
Colonel  Jasper  IMurdock,  who  had  married  Martha  Potter  the  Febru- 
ary preceding,  removed  from  town  and  performed  the  long  and  la- 
borious journey  to  the  Coniiecticat  lands  of  northeastern  Ohio,  then  a 
part  of  the  Northwestern  Territory  and  since  known  as  the  Western 
Reserve.  Thither  one  of  his  sons  had  already  preceded  him.  and  there 
Colonel  Murdock  was  already  engaged  in  extensive  land  speculations. 
But  little  has  been  gathered  concerning  the  later  history  of  the  Potter 
family  in  their  new  home,  where  they  mnst  have  encountered  afresh 
the  hardships  of  a  pioneer  life  in  a  new  country.  Colonel  Murdock, 
who  was  undoubtedly  the  leading  spirit  in  effecting  their  removal,  died 
early  in  1803.  Of  the  two  sons  who  graduated  at  Dartmouth,  Lyman 
Potter,  Jr.,  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio:  Elderkin 
Potter  was  a  successful  lawyer  in  New  Lisbon,  Columbiana  Comity, 
Ohio.  Both  were  subsequently  members  of  the  Ohio  legislature.  Mr.  Pot- 


238  HISTORY    OF    NORWiCrt 

ter  continued  to  preach  to  some  extent,  but  did  not  afterwards  have  a 
permanent  settlement.  He  died  at  Stenbenville,  Ohio,  in  1826,  at  the 
ripe  age  of  eighty  years.  He  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1780,  and  was  elected  one  of  the  trustees  of  that 
institution  in  1800.  He  was  brother  of  Reverend  Isaiah  Potter,  settled 
over  the  church  in  Lebanon,  N.  H. 


THE  RICHARDS  FAMILY 

Jonas  Richards,  born  at  Killingly,  Conn.,  in  1744,  married  Hannah 
Wheeler  of  Plainfield,  that  state,  and  settled  in  Norwich  in  1767. 

He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  town,  locating  on  the  farm 
lately  owned  by  Rufus  Cloud,  on  the  hill  northwest  of  Norwich  village. 
He  became  an  enterprising  and  thrifty  farmer. 

He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
a  man  of  stern  Puritan  morality. 

He  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Joel  Rich- 
ards, born  Nov.  26,  1767,  was  the  second  male  child  born  in  Norwich, 
according-  to  the  Richards  Genealosv. 

He  married  Merian  Smith,  of  Hartford,  Vt.,  in  which  town  (in  the 
Jericho  neighborhood)  he  settled  in  early  life,  and  there  raised  a  large 
family  of  children,  among  them  Cyrus  Richards,  A.  JM.,  for  many 
years  the  well  known  principal  of  Meriden  Academy,  and  the  Rev. 
DeForest  Richards. 

Mr.  Jonas  Richards  died  in  1800,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years,  and 
his  wife  died  in  1826,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 

One  of  his  sisters  married  (at  Preston,  Conn.,  in  1748)  John  Hatch, 
Esq.,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Norwich. 

Three  other  sons  of  Jonas  Richards  early  removed  from  town. 
Wheeler  settled  on  a  farm  in  Derbv,  Vt.,  but  afterwards  removed  to 
Ohio.  Alvin  went  west  early  in  life  in  quest  of  his  fortune,  and  was 
never  after  heard  from.  Bela  lived  and  died  a  farmer  at  Benton, 
N.  Y.    He  married  Sarah  Slade  of  Hanover,  N.  H. 

Levi,  born  July  15,  1777,  inherited  the  paternal  home  and  passed  his 
life  in  Norwich,  where  he  raised  quite  a  large  family,  and  here  he  di^d 
in  1846,  aged  sixty -nine  years. 


COL.    TRUMAN    B.    RANSUJVl 


BIOGRAPHICAL  239 

All  these  sons  of  Jonas  Richards,  like  their  father,  were  large,  ath- 
letic men,  remarkable  for  great  physical  strength  and  power  of  en- 
durance. Levi,  especially,  was  princely  in  form  and  appearance,  and 
was  said  to  be  the  strongest  man  in  Norwich  in  his  day. 

They  were  also  highly  respected  for  their  intelligence,  integrity  and 
purity. 

Levi's  son,  Harry,  entered  Dartmouth  College,  but  did  not  grad- 
uate. 

Tie  settled  as  a  mechanic  in  Norwich ;  was  a  great  reader,  and  macli 
esteemed  as  a  citizen,  holding  important  town  offices.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  thirtv-five  vears. 

Chandler,  another  son  of  Levi  Richards,  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College,  1855 ;  studied  law,  Avent  to  AVisconsin  and  died  there. 

Sarah  Helen,  daughter  of  Levi,  married  Rev.  Thomas  Hall,  in  1852, 
as  his  second  wife. 


TRUMAN  BISHOP  RANSOM 

Truman  Bishop  Ransom  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Vt.,  December, 
1802.  LTe  was  the  son  of  Amasa  Ransom,  and  was  named  after  a 
]\Iethodist  minister,  Truman  Bishop.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Root.  But  little  is  known  of  his  early  life.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  but  ten  years  old,  leaving  him  no  patrimony,  but  superior  natural 
abilities,  an  ardent,  hopeful  temperament,  and  great  ambition. 

Young  Ransom  obtained  by  his  unaided  efforts  a  good  academical 
education.  He  became  a  cadet  at  the  A.  L.  S.  &  M.  Academy  at  Nor- 
wich, in  1820,  and  there  found  a  friend  and  benefactor  in  the  person 
of  Capt.  Alden  Partridge. 

Completing  a  course  of  scientific  and  liberal  studies  at  Norwich, 
where  he  imbibed  in  full  measure  the  military  spirit  and  enthusiasm 
of  his  preceptor,  he  was  for  several  years  employed  as  teacher  of  math- 
ematics and  military  science  in  different  military  schools  in  Connecti- 
cut. New  Jersey,  and  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  and  finally  as  professor  of 
mathematics  in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  When  Norwich  University  was  estab- 
lished in  1835,  under  the  Presidency  of  Captain  Partridge,  Ransom 


246  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

was  elected  vice-president,  and  npon  Captain  Partridge  resigning  his 
position  in  the  institution  Colonel  Eansom  became  his  successor. 

Colonel  Ransom  took  much  interest  in  the  State  militia,  and  in  1836 
he  was  made  General  of  Division  and  re-elected  to  that  office  until 
1844.  He  was  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  Congress  in 
1840,  and  for  Lieutenant  Governor  in  1846.  He  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Ninth  U.  S.  Infantry,  soon  to  start  for  the  theatre  of 
war  in  Mexico. 

In  his  campaigning  in  ^lexico  Colonel  Ransom  proved  himself  a 
gallant  officer,  and  while  leading  his  command  he  was  killed  at  the 
storming  of  Chapultepec,  Sept.  13,  1847. 

The  following  touching  and  appropriate  lines  were  written  by  J.  H. 
Warland,  of  New  Hampshire,  a  member  of  Colonel  Ransom's  military 
staff,  shortly  after  the  Colonel 's  death : 

RANSOM 

He  fell  as  the  hero  falls, 

With  his  good  sword  by  his  side, 
As  he  led  the  way  through  the  thick  of  the  fray, 

In  all  a  warrior's  pride. 

Tl^  Tfr  ^  ^ 

And  his  be  the  hero's  fame  ! 

It  shall  ring  o'er  land  and  sea : 
As  the  hills  that  rise  in  his  native  skies. 

Ever-green  his  name  shall  be. 

He  died  as  the  hero  dies, 

On  the  field  his  sword  hath  won, 
'Mid  the  cannoti's  flame  and  the  shot  that  came 

Like  hail  from  the  deadly  gun. 

Col.  Ransom's  body  was  placed  in  a  leaden  coffin  and  temporarily 
interred  in  the  Protestant  burvino-  ground  near  the  citv  of  Mexico. 
During  the  following  winter  it  was  removed  and  brought  back  to  his 
home  in  Vermont,  where  it  was  consigned  to  its  final  resting  place  in 
the  old  cemeterv  at  Norwich  village,  on  the  22d  dav  of  Februarv,  1848. 

The  dav  was  the  occasion  for  a  public  funeral  attended  bv  manv 
leading  men  of  his  own  and  adjoining  states,  and  by  a  concourse  of 
citizens,  larger,  probably,  than  had  ever  before  been  assembled  in 
Norwich  on  any  occasion.  Rev.  J.  D.  Butler,  of  Wells  River,  preached 
the  funeral  discourse,  which  was  followed  by  a  brief  eulogy  (after- 
wards printed)  by  F*.  W.  Hopkins,  Adj. -Gen.  of  Vermont. 

The   remains  were  then  consigned  to  the  grave  with   appropriate 


BIOGRAPHICAL  241 

military  honors;  two  companies  of  liiiht  infantry  from  Tlanover  and 
J^ebanon,  N.  11.,  with  a  brass  band  from  Claremont,  and  the  West 
Fairlee  Rifle  Corps,  besides  the  Norwich  Company,  forming  the  escort ; 
the  whole  under  the  command  of  Gen.  W.  E.  Lewis  of  Norwich. 

Col.  Ransom  married,  abont  1830,  Margaret  jM.  Greenfield,  of  Alid- 
dletown.  Conn.,  to  whom  were  born  seven  children,  three  of  them 
dying  when  quite  young.  Dunbar  R.  Ransom  (his  eldest  son)  was  a 
cadet  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  served  with  distinction  in 
the  army  during  the  late  Civil  War,  being  brevetted  several  times  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  ser\dce  in  the  field.  He  left  the  army  in  1872, 
and  for  several  3^ears  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company.  He  died  at  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  July  11,  1897. 
Other  children  were  Thomas  Edward  Greenfield,  Frederick  Eugene,  the 
youngest  son,  and  Catharine  Harriet,  who  married  James  O'Hara, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  became  the  mother  of  a  large  family  of  children.  She 
passed  away  within  the  present  year,  leaving  her  brother,  Frederick 
Eugene,  the  sole  survivor  of  Col.  Ransom's  family. 

The  following  action  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont  was  taken  at 
the  session  of  that  body  in  the  fall  of  1848 : 

"Resolved,  hy  tJie  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives, 

"That  in  the  recent  death  of  Col.  Truman  B.  Ransom,  who  fell 
while  gallantly  leading  his  men  at  the  storming  of  the  heights  of  Cha- 
pultepec,  in  IMexico,  on  the  13th  of  September  last,  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont is  called  to  deplore  the  loss  of  one  of  her  best  citizens,  a^d  one 
of  her  most  brave  and  accomplished  soldiers. 

"Resolved,  that  the  firmness  and  brave  bearing  displayed  by  Col. 
Ransom  in  the  several  battles  in  which  he  participated,  which  have 
been  recently  fought  between  the  American  and  Mexican  troops  near 
the  walls  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  will  not  only  perpetuate  forever  his 
own  memory,  but  will  impart  a  deeper  and  more  abiding  lustre  to  the 
already  wtII  earned  martial  fame  of  his  native  state. 

"Resolved,  that  his  Excellency,  the  Governor,  as  a  token  of  the  re- 
spect of  the  General  Assembly  of  this  State  for  the  memory  of  Colonel 
Ransom,  is  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  present  at  such  time 
and  manner  as  he  m.ay  deem  proper,  to  the  son  of  Colonel  Ransom,  now 
a  cadet  at  West  Point,  an  appropriate  sword,  with  such  devices  and 
inscriptions  thereon  as  will  best  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  cle- 


242  HISTORY   OF  NORWICH 

ceased,  and  most  effectually  awaken  in  the  bosom  of  the  son  those  sen- 
timents of  lofty  and  fervent  patriotism  for  which  the  father  was  so 
eminently  distinguished." 


GENERAL  THOMAS  EDWARD  GREENFIELD  RANSOM 

General  Ransom  was  the  second  son  of  Colonel  Truman  Ransom, 
and  was  born  in  Norwich,  November  29,  1834.  He  entered  Norwich 
University  in  1848,  where  he  remained  three  years,  then  went  to 
Illinois,  where  he  practised  his  profession  of  civil  engineering  and 
entered  into  real  estate  transactions. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Illinois  Centra]  Railroad,  with  his  residence  in  Fayette  County,  that 
State. 

In  response  to  President  Lincoln's  call  for  75,000  troops  in  1861, 
he  raised  a  body  of  soldiers  that  became  Company  E  of  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  elected  its  Captain,  his  commission  bear- 
ing date,  April  G,  1861.  He  was  commissioned  Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
the  regiment  Jul}^  80,  1861,  and  Colonel  of  the  same  February  15, 
1862.  In  January,  1863,  he  was  appointed  a  Brigadier  General  and 
placed  in  command  of  a  brigade  in  General  Logan's  division  of  the 
Seventeenth  Army  Corps. 

General  Ransom  was  severely  wounded  in  the  head  during  the  battle 
of  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862;  and  received  other  wounds  at  Charleston, 
Mo.;  at  Fort  Donelson,  in  1862;  and  at  Pleasant  Hill,  La.  The  last 
wound  was  a  serious  one  and  caused  him  to  be  brought  to  Chicago  for 
care  and  treatment. 

In  the  early  part  of  October,  1864,  General  Ransom  was  taken 
severely  ill  with  dysentery,  while  on  active  duty  in  the  field.     Al- 

NoTE  —  The  sword  was  presented  to  Colonel  Ransom's  son  by  Colonel  J.  P. 
Kidder,  of  West  Randolph,  Vt.,  by  request  of  the  Governor. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  the  people  of  Norwich,  and  of  the  state  at  large,  to  learn  that 
the  Ninth  Regiment  was  not  only  commanded  by  Colonel  Ransom,  but  at  a  later  date  by 
Gen.  George  Wright,  a  native  born  son  of  Norwich,  [a  notice  of  General  Wright  will 
be  found  under  "Graduates  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,"  in  a  previous  chapter  in 
this  book],  and  still  later  by  Colonel  Liscomb,  a  Vermonter,  who  lost  his  life  in  China, 
when  the  allied  forces  were  storming  the  walls  around  Pekin. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ^4^ 

though  advised  by  surgeons  and  superior  officers  to  go  upon  sick  leave, 
he  firmly  refused  to  heed  their  advice,  but  continued  with  his  com- 
mand, and  when  too  weak  to  ride  on  horseback  he  rode  in  an  ambu- 
lance. 

All  this  time  the  disease  was  making  rapid  progress  towards  a  fatal 
termination,  then  near  at  hand.  General  Ransom  died  October  29, 
1864.  And  thus  passed  away  the  young,  brave,  and  handsome  soldier, 
whose  reply  to  friends  when  urged  by  them  to  leave  his  command,  in 
search  of  health,  was:  "I  will  stay  with  my  command  until  I  am  car- 
ried away  in  my  Coffin";  and  when  told  that  he  had  but  a  few  hours 
to  live,  answered:  "I  am  not  afraid  to  die,  I  have  met  death  too  often 
to  be  afraid  of  it  now." 


THE  SEAVER  FAMILY 

The  first  representatives  of  this  family  in  Norwich  were  two  brothers, 
Calvin  and  Nathaniel,  who  removed  to  town  from  Petersham,  Mass., 
but  in  what  vear  we  have  no  record. 

Capt.  Nathaniel  was  a  voter  here  as  early  as  1777. 

He  married  ]\Iary  Bush  and  to  them  were  born  four  children.  ]\Ir. 
Seaver  removed  from  Norwich  prior  to  1806,  since  which  time  we  have 
no  record  of  him. 

Captain  Calvin  appears  as  a  voter  in  town  in  1787.  He  married 
]\Io]ly  Hovey  in  1786,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  He  was  fre- 
quently elected  to  offices  in  town.  He  died  in  1841,  aged  eightj^-tw^o 
years,  and  his  wife  in  1857,  aged  ninety-three  years. 

Luther,  son  of  Capt.  Calvin  Seaver,  first  voted  in  town  in  1801.  He 
died  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  1829. 

Calvin  Seaver,  Jr.,  married  for  his  first  wife  Cylinda  Waterman, 
in  1809:  and  for  his  second  Avife,  Sophia  —  (?).  He  died  in  1853, 
aged  sixtv-six  vears,  and  his  wife,  Cvlinda,  in  1832,  fortv-five  vears 
of  age. 

Josiah  Hillis  Seaver  was  a  son  of  Capt.  Nathaniel  Seaver.  [A  further 
record  of  him  appears  in  the  list  of  graduates  of  Dartmouth  College, 
in  another  chapter.] 


244  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Otis,  son  of  Captain  Calvin,  was  born  at  Norwich,  in  1801.  He  mar- 
ried Amanda  Kimball,  who  died  in  1871,  aged  sixty-six  years.  Mr, 
Seaver  died  in  1874,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

Polly  Seaver  married  Dyer  Waterman  at  Norwich  in  1809,  and  fonr 
children  were  born  to  them.         ' ,  w  ^^y 


SARGENT  FAI\IILY 

John  Sargent,  (progenitor),  came  to  Norwich  from  Mansfield,  Conn., 
He  was  a  settler  in  Norwich  as  early  as  1770 ;  was  chosen  assessor  in 
that  year.  He  was  a  snbscriber  to  the  Dartmonth  College  fund,  to 
which  he  contributed  forty  acres  of  land  and  £2  10s  in  money. 

In  December,  1778,  I\Ir.  Sargent  lived  in  his  house  near  the  Ferry 
place  leading  to  Dresden  (now  Hanover). 

August  15,  1780,  he  was  chosen  one  of  a  committee  "to  look  into 
and  adjust  the  amount  of  service  performed  in  the  war  by  all  the  able 
bodied  men  in  town."  Two  days  later,  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Brown  was  chosen  in  Mr.  Sargent's  place,  it  being  found 
that  the  latter  was  absent  from  town. 

j\Ir.  Sars'ent  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  upon  the  Con- 
necticut river,  but  lost  most  of  his. property  by  a  freshet,  and  by  bad 
debts  (by  one  Baxter),  and  returned  to  Mansfield  before  1790. 

He  died  at  Pawlet  or  Dorset  ( ?),  Vt.,  in  1826,  where  he  went  in  1811 
to  live  with  his  son,  John,  Jr. 

In  the  summer  of  1871  John  Sargent,  Jr.,  was  on  frontier  service, 
being  stationed  in  the  town  of  Corinth,  where  a  fort  had  been  built 
by  two  companies  under  Captain  Abner  Seeley  and  Captain  Nelson. 
On  the  16th  of  October  following  he  was  on  a  scout  in  the  town  of 
Jericho  near  Winooski  river,  with  four  others  from  the  fort.  They 
were  here  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  tories,  one  of  them  being  killed, 
and  two  Avounded,  including  ]\Ir.  Sargent.  Those  not  killed  were 
taken  prisoners  and  carried  to  Quebec,  where  they  were  kept  until  the 
next  spring,  when  they  were  allowed  to  return  home. 

At  a  town  meeting  held  November  19,  1782,  it  was  "voted  that 
John  Sargent,  Jr.,  be  entitled  to  receive  out  of  the  town  treasury  his 
pay  as  a  soldier  from  the  time  he  enlisted  until  the  time  of  the  last 


BIOGRAPHICAL  245 

town  meeting  (September  20,  1782),  and  that  the  consideration  of  his 
other  wages  and  the  pay-roll  1; 'd  in  hy  Capt.  Seeley,  be  proposed," 
etc. 

Mr.  Sargent  married  Delight  Bell  at  Norwich,  and  they  had  ten 
children.  He  was  a  physician,  and  removed  to  Dorset  or  Pawlet  (?), 
Vt.,  in  1786.  He  was  the  father  of  Honorable  Leonard  Sargent  of 
Manchester,  Vt.,  and  of  Doctor  Warren  B.  Sargent  of  Pawlet,  Vt. 

Royal  Sargent  (snpposed  to  be  a  son  of  John  Sargent,  Sr.)  married 
Grace  Benton,  in  1775.     He  removed  to  Irasbnrg,  Vt. 

Elizabeth  Sargent  married  Joel  Benton,  in  1785,  and  they  had  two 
sons. 

Lois  Sargent  married  Ebenezer  Broughton,  in  1786,  and  they  had 
three  children. 


SAWYER  FAMILY 

The  first  of  this  name  to  come  to  Norwich,  of  whom  we  have  any 
record,  was  Conant  B.  Sawyer  (son  of  Isaac  Sawyer),  who  removed 
here  from  Hebron,  Conn.,  his  native  town,  during  the  early  years  of  the 
settlement  of  Norwich,  for  a  temporary  sojourn,  then  returned  to  He- 
bron, from  which  place  he  became  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  We  are  unable  to  determine  the  year  when  ]\lr.  Sawyer 
returned  to  Norwich  for  a  permanent  residence,  but  we  find  that  he 
was  in  town  as  early  as  1780. 

Mr.  Sawyer  located  in  that  part  of  the  town  known  as  Beaver 
IMeadow  (now  West  Norwich),  on  a  farm  subsequently  owned  by 
William  Pixley,  Captain  Thomas  Howard,  and  now  by  Chauncey 
Smith,  except  that  part  that  came  into  the  possession  of  his  son  Cal- 
vin, upon  which  the  latter  erected  a  dwelling,  and  there  passed  his  days. 
He  was  born  in  1756,  and  died  in  1838.  He  had  five  wives :  Deborah 
Robinson,  Roxalana  ]\liller,  Ruth  Boardman  and  Mary  and  ^largaret 
]\lcAllister,  sisters.  By  Deborah  Robinson  he  had  two  children,  and 
by  Ruth  Boardman  six,  of  whom  ]\Iiss  Harriet  Sawyer,  whose  death 
occurred  a  few  vears  since  at  the  home  of  C.  C.  Sawver,  was  one:  the 
others  were  Calvin^  already  mentioned,  Oramel,  ]\lilo,  Almon,  and 
Ruth. 


246  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Isaac  Sawyer,  the  father  of  Conant,  never  came  to  Norwich,  but  soon 
after  his  death  in  Connecticut,  his  widow  came  here  and  lived  in  the 
family  of  Hon.  Paul  Brigham. 

Jacob  S.  Sawyer  removed  to  Norwich  from  Connecticut,  in  1785, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  Jemima,  two  sons,  AVestern  and  Cornelius, 
and  one  daughter,  Sally,  six  years  old,  who  subsequently  married 
Cephas  Harding  and  resided  in  Pomfret.  Vt.  He  settled  upon  a  hill 
farm  half  a  mile  west  of  New  Boston  Schoolhouse,  where  he  built  him- 
self a  log  house.  The  family  baking  was  done  in  an  oven  of  stone 
and  clav  erected  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  in  rear  of  the  house.  In  1786, 
he  planted  seeds  from  two  apples  brought  by  him  from  Connecticut, 
from  which  are  two  trees  now  bearing  fruit.  He  died  in  1826,  aged 
seventy-six  years,  and  his  wife,  October  20,  1835,  aged  eighty-one 
Years. 

From  anv  source  of  information  at  our  command,  we  are  unable 
to  decide  whether  Conant  and  Jacob  S.  Sawyer  were  of  the  same 
family — at  least,  of  near  ties  of  consanguinity. 

Western  Sawyer,  after  arriving  at  man's  estate,  located  on  a  farm 
about  one  mile  north  of  New  Boston  Schoolhouse,  and  built  a  log 
house  in  which  to  reside.    He  removed  to  the  State  of  Ohio,  in  1825. 

Cornelius  and  his  wife  {nee  Alice  Johnson)  made  their  home  on 
the  farm  where  his  father  settled.  He  died  February  20,  1860,  aged 
seventy-six  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  ]\Iay  23,  1852,  aged  sixty- 
seven  years. 

Their  children  were  James,  Milton,  Ralph,  Emetine,  Alvira,  and 
Arvilla. 

To  Calvin  Sawyer  and  his  wife  {nee  Fanny  Hatch)  were  born  eight 
children,  among  them  C.  C.  Sawyer,  now  residing  in  Norwich. 


THE  STIMSON  FAMILY 

Joel  Stimson,  the  progenitor  of  the  Stimson  family  in  Norwich, 
emigrated  from  Holland,  Conn.,  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He 
had  previously  served  as  a  soldier  from  that  town — a  fifer  in  Captain 
Solomon  Will's  Company.  He  married  Susanna  Growe  at  Norwich, 
April  15,  1779.    He  settled  on  what  is  now  the  Danforth  farm,  on  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  24/ 

old  Sharon  road,  and  for  many  years  kept  a  hotel  there.  Mr.  Stimson 
raised  a  large  family  of  sons  ai-d  daughters  and  was  a  leading  man  in 
town  and  chnrch.  He  was  chosen  tithingman  as  early  as  1785.  He 
died  April  15,  1813,  aged  sixty-two.  His  eldest  son,  Seba  Stimson, 
removed  to  Greensboro,  Vt.,  when  (piite  a  young  man.  He  was  the 
father  of  Joel  G.  Stimson,  who  was  born  in  Greensboro. 


COLONEL  ALBA  STIMSON 

Second  son  of  Joel  Stimson,  was  born  at  Norwich,  May  10,  1783, 
and  died  at  Post  jMills,  Vt.,  IMarch  15,  1864.  The  greater  part  of  his 
long  life  was  passed  in  Norwich,  of  which  he  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  most  respected  and  influential  citizens.  He  was  early  prom- 
inent in  the  militia,  where  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  in  that 
capacity  w^as  in  command  of  several  companies  and  detachments  that 
were  assembled  at  Windsor  in  June,  1825,  to  welcome  General  Lafay- 
ette to  Vermont.  He  is  best  remembered,  perhaps,  by  the  older  towns- 
people as  a  school  teacher  in  the  district  schools,  an  occupation  for 
which  he  was  singularly  well  adapted,  both  as  regards  the  instruction 
and  discipline  of  his  pupils.  He  was  ever  a  firm  friend  of  popular 
education  and  was  annually  elected  superintending  school  committee 
for  a  Ions  period.  Colonel  Stimson  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
aggressive  among  the  founders  of  the  Free  Soil  party  in  this  section 
of  the  state,  and  he  was  often  the  candidate  of  that  part}^  for  office 
in  town  and  county. 

For  nearly  thirty  years  he  was  much  in  public  service,  holding 
nearly  every  town  office,  one  of  the  last  of  which  was  to  serve  as  the 
representative  of  the  town  in  the  constitutional  convention  of  1850. 

Colonel  Stimson  married  Phoebe,  daughter  of  Pierce  Burton,  Esq., 
]March  16,  1809,  \\'hom  he  survived  a  few  vears.     Thev  had  no  chil- 

7  7  I'  «■ 

dren.  During  a  considerable  portion  of  his  later  life  he  resided  upon 
and  owned  the  Pierce  Burton  farm  near  Norwich  village,  now  the 
home  of  W.  S.  Hazen, 


248  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

DOCTOR   AMOS    TWITCHELL 

Doctor  Amos  Twitchell,  the  famous  physician  and  surgeon  of  Keene, 
N.  H.,  half  a  century  ago,  began  his  professional  life  in  Norwich, 
where  he  resided  about  three  years,  (1805-1808).  Doctor  Twitchell 
was  born  in  Dublin,  N.  H.,  in  1781 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College 
in  1802.  He  was  early  attracted  to  the  medical  profession  and  became 
a  favorite  pupil  of  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  the  founder  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Medical  Institution  at  Hanover.  As  there  were  four  resident 
physicians  in  town  at  the  time  of  Doctor  Twitchell's  settlement  here, 
he  made  but  slow  headway  in  his  profession.  His  charges  during  his 
first  year's  residence  only  amounted  to  about '$250.  He  was  poor  and 
involved  in  debt,  and  his  letters  at  this  time  show  that  he  was  subject 
to  seasons  of  deep  despondency  in  view  of  his  future  prospects.  He 
expressed  confidence  in  his  ability  to  obtain  in  time  the  largest  share 
of  the  business  in  the  vicinitv,  but  ambition  and  his  necessities  im- 
pelled  him  to  seek  a  wider  field  of  activity.  In  a  letter  to  his  brother- 
in-law  Doctor  Carter,  under  date  of  May  9,  1807,  he  says:  "I  have 
been  looking  over  my  books.  I  find  I  am  doing  very  poorly;  some 
have  run  away;  others  are  unable  to  pay;  and  not  any  of  them  do 
pay.  Of  course,  I  shall  never  be  able  to  make  remittances  to  my 
creditors,  so  long  as  I  tarry  here. ' '  It  appears  there  was  an  improve- 
ment in  his  business  prospects  towards  the  end  of  his  residence  here, 
but  not  such  as  he  thought  warranted  him  in  remaining  where  he  must 
spend  the  prime  of  his  life  before  he  could  attain  "to  anything  Uke 
independence."  He  was  employed  by  the  town  to  some  extent  in 
doctoring  the  poor;  the  auditor's  report  in  1810  showing  that  he  was 
paid  a  bill  of  $44  for  medical  services. 

During  the  time  of  his  residence  here  Doctor  Twitchell  was  devoting 
much  time  to  the  study  and  practice  of  anatomy,  which  was  a  passion 
with  him  for  many  years.  The  obtaining  of  subjects  for  dissection 
was  attended  with  many  difficulties  at  that  time,  and  Doctor  Twitch- 
ell's reputation  for  the  surreptitious  procurement  of  such  material 
from  the  graveyards  of  the  vicinage  was  notorious  and  unsavory.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  daring  and  adroit  operators  in 
this  line  while  a  student  and  in  the  first  years  of  his  practice.  This 
fact  and  some  professional  jealousy  towards  him  on  his  first  coming 


BIOGRAPHICAL  249 

ro  Xorwicli.  (lonhtless  operated  to  liis  disadvaiita^ie  in  obtaining-  busi- 
ness here.  He  settled  in  Keene  in  LSIO.  and  from  that  time  till  his 
death  in  May,  1850,  liis  fame  as  a  surgeon  ^rew  constantly  till  he  liad 
no  snperioi-  in  northern  New  Enuland. 


THE  WATEK.AIAX  EA.AHLV 

Tliis  family  trace  their  lineage  back  to  those  of  that  name  in  Xor- 
wich,  l']ns.»]and.  by  the  following'  links  in  the  chain  :  Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth (  Bairne)  Waterman:  Thomas  and  Miriam  (Tracy)  Waterman: 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Allyne)  Waterman:  Daniel  and  Mary  ( Gif- 
ford  )  and  Elizabeth  (Haskell)  Waterman.  There  are,  probably,  some 
missinii'  links  in  the  chain  before  comin^'  to  Daniel  AVaterman,  the 
progenitor  of  the  family  in  Norwich,  Yt. 

The  name  of  Waterman  is  connected  with  the  earliest  davs  of  onr 
town  's  history — l)efore  a  settlement  was  made  within  its  borders.  It 
was  at  William  Waterman's  tavern  at  IMansfield.  Conn.,  where  the 
first  and  later  steps  wei'e  taken  towards  the  organization  and  settle- 
ment of  the  town,  from  which  event  we  follow  speedily  and  directly 
to  the  Daniel  Waterman,  already  mentioned,  who  was  a  voter  of  record 
in  1767,  and  who  married  Ann  Ford,  to  whom  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Daniel,  Jr.,  Samnel,  Elisha,  Elijah,  James,  John, 
Jjevi  (  f),  Ann,  who  married  Levi  Baldwin,  to  whom  were  born  eleven 
children  :  Afary,  who  became  the  second  wife  of  Jeremiah  Hedges, 
and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Daniel  G.  Baker,  as  his  second  wife. 

When  Daniel  Waterman  located  in  Norwich,  it  was  in  the  northeast 
pai't  of  the  town  (in  the  Pompanoosnc  district)  in  which  locality  he, 
with  others,  had  "proprietors'  rights"  of  land  voted  them  "as  a  con- 
sideration for  first  coming  into  town  and  for  the  bui'den  of  first  set- 
tling said  town. ' ' 

In  that  section  of  the  town  later  generations  of  the  family  established 
homes,  forminc'  quite  a  populous  connnunity  of  themselves. 

The  record  of  this  family  is  sufficient  foi-  a  long  aiid  interesting 
historv, 


250  HISTORY   OF    NORWICH 

THE  WRIGHT  FAMILY 

Aaron  Wright,  born  in  the  year  1700  (probably  in  Hebron,  Conn.,) 
the  only  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Wrioht,  came  to  Norwich  from 
Preston,  Conn.,  about  1765  and  located  on  a  hill  farm,  west  of  Nor- 
wich Plain,  just  south  of  the  Deacon  John  Button  farm.  The  prop- 
erty passed  into  the  hands  of  J\lr.  Dutton  some  years  since,  and  he 
took  down  the  old  house  built  by  ]\Ir.  Wright. 

Previous  to  his  removal  to  Norwich,  ]\Ir.  Wright  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Bliss,  to  whom  were 
born  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  (3f  these  children,  John,  born  in 
1774,  married  Olive  Partridge,  September  27,  1768;  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried Samuel  Partridge,  in  1770.  Samuel  married  (first)  Eunice 
Ballard,  (second)  Polly  Lane  or  JNIar}^  Lane.  One  record  states  that  his 
first  wife  was  Mary  Lane,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1792.  It  is 
probable  that  all  of  IMr.  Wright's  children  were  born  before  their 
parents  came  to  Norwich. 

John,  son  of  Aaron  and  Elizabeth  Wright,  had  by  his  wife,  Olive, 
four  sons  and  seven  daughters — three  died  in  infancy.  Anna  mar- 
ried Don  J.  Brig'ham ;  Rubv  married  Norman  Cloud :  Pollv  married 
Daniel  Durkee  and  resided  in  Pennsylvania,  where  her  husband  en- 
tered into  the  practice  of  law,  became  a  judge  of  one  of  the  courts, 
and  died  at  York  in  that  state:  Olive  married  John  Hutchinson; 
Betsey  married  Elisha  Hutchinson:  Ebenezer,  (born  January  23, 
1783)  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  became  a  lawyer  of  note  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Lancaster.  Roswell,  another  son,  born  in  Nor- 
wich, February  17,  1781,  married  Jemina  Rose  of  Lisbon,  Conn., 
February  20,  1803,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children:  George, 
Mercy  R.,  and  Olive  Partridge.  George  graduated  from  the  \J.  S. 
Military  Academy  in  1822 ;  fought  through  the  Mexican  War,  and 
wsis  several  times  brevetted  for  meritorious  conduct  during  that  cam- 
paign'; saw  much  service  against  the  Indians;  reached  the  rank  of 
Brigadier  General  for  gallant  service  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
He  was  drowned  by  the  sinking  of  the  steamer  Brother  Jonathan  off 
the  coast  of  Oregon,  July  30,  1865,  while  on  his  way  to  his  post  of 
duty.  Mercy  R.  died  in  Norwich  at  the  home  of  her  sister,  JMrs. 
Olive  P.  Newton,  widow  of  the  late  Baxter  B.  Newton,  June,  1899. 
Roswell  Wright  died  October  9,  1866. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  25I 

John  Wright,  Jr.,  •youngest  son  of  John  and  Olive  Wright,  was 
born  in  Norwich,  June. 8,  1792;  graduated  fi'oni  the  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  July  28.  1818.  His  first  wife  was  Susan,  a  daughter  of 
J)r.  Phineas  I*arkhui'st  of  Lebanon,  X.  II.,  to  whom  one  child,  Susan 
Anil,  was  born,  and  she  became  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Benton,  Esq.,  of 
Lebanon.  ^Ii-.  Wright's  second  wife  was  Almira  Kidder  Green,  of 
Putney,  \'t  ,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  only  three  of  whom 
I'eached  adult  age,  viz. — Leonard  Jarvis,  Mary  Jarvis,  and  Thomas 
K.  (}.,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  IMr.  John  Wright  read  law  after  leav- 
ing the  army,  and  established  himself  in  his  profession  in  his  native 
town,  becoming  a  prominent  citizen  in  the  community.  lie  held 
several  public  offices :  was  postmaster  from  1836  to  1839,  and  from 
1853  to  1855.     lie  died  in  Norwich,  Sept.  10,  1860. 

The  tragic  death  of  ]\lr.  John  Wriaht,  Sr.,  as  related  bv  his  grand- 
daughter,  Mercy  Wright,  to  a  relative  of  hers,  is  related  below : 

''September  10th,  1799,  grandfather  was  preparing  a  piece  of  land 
for  sowing  grain.  He  came  home  and  took  dinner  with  his  family 
as  usual,  and  before  leaving  his  house  requested  his  second  son. 
Ebenezer.  to  come  with  the  oxen  in  half  an  hour,  where  he  was  at 
work,  in  ordei*  to  remove  some  logs.  Ebenezer  went  according  to  di- 
rections, and,  although  some  distance,  the  family  were  alarmed  by 
his  cries.  They,  with  the  neighbors,  flocked  to  the  spot,  but  to  witness 
a  sad  specta'cle  indeed.  Grandfather  had  attempted  to  roll  a  log 
down  a  descent,  and  bv  a  sudden  movement  had  got  under  the  log — 
it  had  rolled  onto  his  body  (across  his  heart)  and  when  his  son  ar- 
rived life  was  extinct.  *  ^  *:=  *  Grandfather  was  fifty-six 
Vi.ars  old  *  *  *  *  Grandfather  was  out  in  the  Revolutionarv 
W'dv.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Bennington  anci  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
iioyne. ' ' 

Aaron  Wright  died  at  Norwich,  in  1783,  aged  eighty-three  years, 
and  his  wife  in  1789,  aged  seventv-five  vears. 

XoTE  —  The  spot  where  Mr.  Wright  was  killed  has  been  enclosed  for  many  jears 
by  a  picket  fence.  It  is  a  short  distance  south  of  the  highway  following  the  brook 
westerly  from  near  W.  S.  Hazen's.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Wright's  death  it  was  a  part  of  his 
farm,  but  is  now  owned  by  Charles  Swasey. 


252  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

GEN.  EDWARD  B.  WILLISTON 

Son  of  Ebenezer  B.  and  Almira  (Partridge)  Williston,  was  born 
at  Norwich  Julv  15,  1836.  He  was  four  vears  at  Norwich  University 
previous  to  receiving  an  appointment  of  second  lieutenant  in  the  U.  S. 
Artillery,  August,  1861.  General  Williston  served  with  distinction 
throughout  the  late  Civil  War,  receiving  several  brevets  for  gallant 
conduct. 

In  the  war  with  Spain  he  was  on  active  duty — at  one  time  pro- 
vost-marshal at  ]\Ianila.  In  ]\Iay,  1898,  he  was  commissioned  briga- 
dier-general. He  is  now  assistant  superintendent  of  the  soldiers' 
home,  Washington,  D.  C. 


PART   111 

MISCELLANEOUS 


ompo:mpaxoosuc  agricultural  fair  society 

[Bf  A.   V.  Turner^ 

In  the  year  1885  Appleton  R.  Tilden  became  interested  in  the  forma- 
tion of  an  aoTiciiltural  society  for  the  purpose  of  holding-  fairs  in  Xor- 
wieli  (near  Pompanoosuc),  and  through  his  efforts  quite  a  wide  interest 
in  this  scheme  was  awakened  in  Norwich,  Thetford,  and  Hartford.  Vt., 
and  Lyme.  Hanover,  and  Lebanon,  N.  H.  February  6,  1886.  a  meetino^ 
was  called  in  XorAvich  and  a  temporary  org'anization  formed,  with  J. 
]\r.  Fuller  president,  and  A.  V.  Turner  secretary.  The  membership 
fee  was  fixed  at  $1.00  and  a  committee  elected  to  solicit  membership. 
The  meetin<i-  adjourned  to  February  21,  at  which  time  the  committee 
reported  that  ^zrounds  suifable  for  fair  purposes  could  be  rented  of 
J.  H.  and  Sarah  J.  Chapman  at  a  rental  of  $25.00  per  year.  A  mem- 
bership of  177  was  reported  at  this  meeting'. 

At  an  adjourned  meetino-  held  March  6,  1886,  a  permanent  organiza- 
tion was  made  with  the  following-  named  board  of  officers:  R.  A.  Tilden, 
President;  J.  ^I.  Fuller,  Secretary;  A.  V.  Turner,  Treasurer;  E.  M. 
Fullington  and  J.  H.  Chapman,  Vice  Presidents;  Executive  Committee, 
H.  P.  Flint,  Jonah  Taylor,  A.  W.  Brigham :  J.  AV.  Armstrong,  Mar- 
shal; X^.  H.  Clogston,  General  Superintendent;  Directors:  Norwich,  T. 
A.  Hazen,  Bartlett  Sargent,  Richard  AVaterman,  G.  M.  Slack,  A.  W. 
Johnson.  C.  Strong;  Hartford,  David  Hazen,  Enos  Gillett ;  Hanover, 
X.  H.,  J.  H.  Foster;  Lyme,  X.  H.,  A.  V.  Colby;  Straft'ord,  L.  Parker. 
The  Constitution  and  the  premium  list  of  the  Tunbridge  Fair  Associa- 
tion were  adopted.  The  Chapman  grounds  were  leased  for  a  long  term 
of  years  and  work  was  planned  for  a  fair  to  be  held  in  Septembei'. 

During  the  early  fall  buildings  and  a  track  suitable  for  fair  purposes 
Avere  built  entirely  by  the  public  spirit  of  the  people.  The  first  fair 
\\-as  set  for  the  20th  of  September.  Entries  in  all  the  departments 
were  good,  but  a  rain  storm  of  several  days  set  in  and  the  fair  was 


256  HISTORY    OF   NORWICH 

adjourned  some  days,  but  was  finally  held  with  a  "ood  attendance  and 
fine  show  of  stock. 

Xine  fairs  were  held  by  this  association,  all  but  one  of  which  were 
in  the  midst  of  rainy  weathei',  and  the  saying-  is  still  heard,  "Pompa 
P^'air  will  bring  rain  any  time."  Furthermore,  fhe  interest  and  work 
of  carrying  on  the  fairs  had  fallen  so  heavily  on  a  "few  faithful  work- 
ers" that  in  1895  it  was  deemed  best  to  close  up  the  business  of  the 
association,  which  was  done  by  selling  at  auction  the  association  prop- 
erty and  dividing  the  proceeds  among  the  few  remaining  members  of 
the  society.  While  it  cost  a  few  members  weeks  of  hard  ]c\hor  and 
much  money  to  help  carry  on  the  fairs,  yet  much  good  came  to  the 
agricultural  interests  of  this  town  and  vicinitv  which  made  their  bur- 
den  seem  lighter. 


OLD  H(3ME  WEEK  OBSERVANCE 

[Bf  Rev.  N.  R.  Nichols] 

Agreeably  to  provisions  of  the  laws  of  Vermont,  citizens  of  .Xoi'wieh 
assembled  ]\Iay  11,  1901,  and  organized  the  Norwich  Old  Home  AVeek 
Association.  The  following  officers  were  elected:  II.  V.  Partridge, 
President:  T.  A.  Hazen,  1st  Vice  President:  G.  ^I.  Slack,  2nd  Vice 
President :  F.  W.  Hawley,  Secretary ;  George  ^lessenger.  Treasurer ; 
Executive  Committee :  AV.  S.  Bowles,  D.  D.  S.,  Airs.  AVm.  E.  Lewis,  AI. 
S.  Colburn,  AV.  O.  Blood,  Airs.  Jerome  Brown.  At  a  meeting  June 
7th  l)y-laws  were  adopted  and  the  following  committees  appointed  : 
Location,  E.  AV.  Olds,  A.  A^  Turner,  Airs.  F.  AV.  Hawley:  Invita- 
tion, Airs.  AVilliam  E.  Lewis,  Aliss  Sarah  J.  Burton,  Aliss  Alary  A. 
Loveland:  Finance,  A.  AV.  Brigham.  AA^.  O.  Blood,  Dea.  E.  T.  Lewis: 
Program,  Airs.  W.  S.  Bowles,  Aliss  Anna  Converse,  Aliss  Emma  Slack : 
Diimer,  Dea.  Samuel  Hutchinson,  Airs.  J.  II.  Loveland,  ^Irs.  E.  G. 
Lord.  It  was  also  voted  that  August  16th  be  observed  as  Old  Home 
Day. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  various  committees  July  28d,  it  was  decided  to 
liold  the  public  exercises  on  the  common.  The  following  invitation  was 
sent  to  over'  four  hundred  former  residents:  "The  Norwich  Old  Home 
Association  most  cordially  invites  you  to  return  and  participate  in  the 
First  Annual  Reunion  of  i)resent  and  former  residents,   Old  Home 


OLD    HOME    WEEK  257 

Week,  Auaust  llth  to  ITtli,  1901,  and  especially  to  he  i)i'esent  at  the 
l?ublie  Exercises,  Okl  Home  Day,  Norwich,  Vermont,  Friday,  August 
16th,  1901." 

The  day  of  observance  was  perfect.  Thei-e  was  a  general  attend- 
ance of  the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  many  also  came  from  neighboring 
towns,  as  well  as  from  other  states. In  the  I'ecord  book  mav  be  found 
the  names  of  118  non-residents  from  without  the  state,  and  of  ninety- 
five  now  living  in  Vermont,  who  had  returned  to  renew  their  interest 
in  their  former  home.  It  was  estimated  that  more  than  a  thousand 
]ieople  were  present.  Of  this  number  som.e  eight  hundred  partook  of 
the  dinner  provided  under  the  directions  of  the  entertainment  com- 
mittee. The  exercises  of  the  afternoon  consisted  of  maisic,  add"rs:-^es 
by  non-]'esidents  and  by  citizens,  and  the  reading  of  letters  from  people 
unable  to  be  present.  In  the  evening  there  was  an  open  aii-  concert  by 
the  band  engaged  for  the  occasion. 

Xorwich  village  appeared  at  its  best.  Public  buildings  and  private 
dwellings  were  verv  tastefullv  decoi'ated.  and,  in  the  evenino',  illumiii- 
ated,  for  the  occasion.  Windows  were  evorvwhei'e  ablaze  with  liiiht. 
Much  interest  was  added  by  the  use  of  the  school  building  as  a  memo- 
rial hall  where  were  gathered  nun^erous  portraits  of  earlier  inhab- 
itants— representations  and  reminders  of  their  sturdiness  of  charactei*. 
So  satisfactory  was  the  outcome  as  to  make  it  desii'able  to  observe  an 
Old  Home  Dav  the  next  summer.     The  date  chosen  for  the  occasion 

« 

was  the  15th  of  August.  The  celebration  was  carried  out  in  a  manner 
and  with  results  very  much  like  those  of  the  preceding  year.  A 
shower,  however,  interfered  somewhat  with  the  full  enjoyment  of  the 
exercises  of  the  day. 

Less  elaborate  preparations  were  made  foi-  the  next  summer.  The 
Norwich  Association,  however,  commemorated  Old  Home  Week, 
August  21st,  by  a  picnic  on  the  common,  to  which  a  general  invitation 
was  extended.  The  three  celebrations  were  so  eniovable,  and  in  every 
wav  satisfactorv,  as  fullv  to  warrant  a  continued  observance  of  Old 
Home  Week. 


25  HISTORY    OF  NORWICH 

SOME  INCIDENTS  OF  LITIGATION  IN  NORWICH 

That  the  people  of  this  town  were  a  litigious  people  in  the  early 
part  of  the  century,  may  well  be  inferred  from  the  following:  state- 
ment of  suits-at-law  bronght  before  Hezekiah  Goodrich,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  as  learned  from  his  account  book : 

In  1808,  Daniel  Buck  brought  23  suits;  in  1809,     11  suits. 

In  1808.  Ebenezer  Brown  brought  136  suits;  in  1809,  218  suits. 
In  1808,  Zenas  Bliss,  et  al.,  brought     9  suits. 


Making  a  total  of  168  229 

Although  Norwich  has  had  the  reputation  during  the  past  few  years 
of  being  nearly,  or  quite,  the  banner  town  in  the  county  for  litigation, 
it  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  above  record  in  num.ber  of  suits  brought. 
If  the  law  was  often  brought  into  requisition  in  those  early  days,  it" 
was  at  times  put  in  action  in  the  interest  of  public  morals,  as  evidenced 
by  the  following  statements : 

"Norwich,  June  2'\  1829. 

"Edward   Tlutchins  fined   for  swearing  'By  Jesus   Christ,'  twice. 

Fine,  $1.00  for  each  oath,  $2.00 

"Cost,  officer,  .34 

"Court.  .67 


"$3.01" 
"George  W.   Payne   fined   for  swearing  'By   God,'   at   5   different 
times,  $1.00  ea.,  $5.00 

"Cost,  officer,  .34 

"Court,  .67 

1.01 

"Stand  committed.  $6.01." 

Hutchins  and  Payne  belonged  in  Hanover.     June  2nd  (the  date  of 

the  above  proceedings)  was  the  first  Tuesday  of  that  month,  the  time 


SOME    INCIDENTS    OF    LITIGATION  259 

of  the  Annual  .Militia  Training-   (June  training).     The  proceedings 
were  before  Don  J.  Brighani,  Esq. 

"State  of  Vermont,  Windsor  County,  SS.  Be  it  remembered  that 
on  the  first  day  of  March,  1808,  George  C.  Freeman  of  Norwich,  was 
convicted  before  me,  H.  Goodrich,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  uttering 
one  Profane  Oath  on  the  26*^^  day  of  Feb.  last  in  the  words  following, 
to  wit :  'By  God,'  etc.,  and  was  then  ordered  to  pay  a  fine  of  75  cts.,  and 
25  cts.  cost. 

"A  true  record. 

"H.  Goodrich,  Justice  Peace.'' 

"State  of  Vermont,  Windsor  County,  SS.  Be  it  remembered  that 
on  the  7^^^  day  of  September,  A.  D.  1809,  Calvin  Miner  of  Hartford, 
in  the  county  of  Windsor,  was  convicted  of  horse  racing  in  Noi'wich 
in  the  county  aforesaid,  on  the  31*^^  day  of  July  last  past,  and  winning 
the  sum  of  $9.50,  and  was  ordered  to  pay  the  same  into  the  treasury 
of  sd.  Norwich,  with  $4.00  fine  and  $2.71  cost. 

''A  true  record,  Attest 

"Hez^^  Goodrich,  Just.  Peace." 


NORWICH  WEARS  THE  BELL 
By  Fairbanks  Bush. 

Come  ye  who  love  the  truth,  give  ear  to  what  I  say  I 
Although  it  is  in  poetry,  the  truth  I  will  convey : 

I'll  tell  vou  our  condition — I  think  I  know  it  well, 

And  then  with  me  you  will  agree  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

This  town  to  me  was  dear,  it  was  my  place  of  birth, 

'T  was  here  I  was  conceived  and  drew  my  natal  breath  : 

It  was  a  pleasant  land  to  me,  and  I  am  bold  to  tell. 

For  in  those  days  we  had  much  praise,  and  likewise  wore  the  bel 

Our  fathers  all  were  friends,  in  wealth  they  did  abound. 
Their  object  was  to  live  in  peace  and  cultivate  the  ground ; 

In  this  they  were  successful, — in  harmony  did  dwell. 
And  we  can  sav  there  was  a  dav  that  Norwich  wore  the  bell. 


260  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Alas,  how  great  the  change!  the  gold  it  has  turned  dim. 

We  left  the  path  our  fathers  chose,  and  do  not  dwell  therein  ; 
Our  name  is  sounding  far  and  wide,  but  this  I'm  loath  to  tell, 

For  it  is  told  by  young  and  old,  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

When  I  relate  this  truth  my  heart  is  filled  with  pain  ; 

Those  happy  days  which  we  have  spent  will  ne'er  return  again; 
Instead  of  love  and  friendship,  contention  here  doth  dwell, 

And  it  is  known  bv  this  mv  moan  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

The  town  is  now  deranged — this  is  the  state  of  things: 

Our  leaders  are  unskillful  men,  and  cannot  tune  her  strings; 

They  vibrate  loud  in  discord,  the  sound  is  sharp  and  shrill. 
There's  none  I  see  but  what  agree  that  Norwich  wears  the  ])ell. 

Our  rulers  they  are  wise- — -yes,  in  their  own  conceit. 

They  think  the  common  class  all  fools,  but  tJicfj  will  lie  and  cheat ; 

Some  things  would  make  you  wonder,  but  those  I  dare  not  tell. 
It  would  disgrace  the  human  race,  and  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

These  evils  which  prevail  are  numerous  and  great, 
Likewise  thev  have  increased  abundantlv  of  late ; 

Some  things  are  now  in  practice  which  I'm  ashamed  to  tell. 

That  teaches  all,  both  great  and  small,  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

The  law  is  our  delight,  and  courts  they  do  abound. 

We've  almost  twenty  magistrates,  but  justice  can't  be  found  : 

Our  debts  are  so  increased  we  cannot  pay  them  well, 

And  for  want  of  bail  we  go  to  jail,  and  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

The  men  who  guard  our  rights  are  those  who  love  their  ease, 

They  show  much  zeal  for  virtue 's  cause,  but  twice  as  nuich  foi-  fees ; 

Tliey'll  sign  a  writ  for  any  sum,  and  execution  fill. 

And  this  is  done  by  every  one,  and  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

There's  some  profess  the  law, — they  say  they  guard  our  rights,— 
To  rob  us  of  our  property  they  strive  with  all  theii*  mights: 

This  is  their  calculation,  we  all  do  know  it  well. 

By  this  you  see  we  all  agree  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 


NORWICH    WEARS    THE    BELL  26 1 

There's  some  thai  sell  us  jioods, — their  object  is  their  pay, — 
They  strip  us  of  our  hoiis  aud  i)i,us,  our  eoru,  our  oats,  our  hay; 

And  this  is  sold  at  auction, — I  think  it  pays  them  well, — 

And  now  with  me  \ou  uuist  a^i-ee  that  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

There's  some  in  horses  trade. — they  say  it  is  no  hurt, — 

The  calling  is  as  honorable  as  any  other  work ; 
Our  jockeys  trade  so  fairly  they  all  do  make  it  well : 

They  cheer  the  heart  before  they  pai*t,  and  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 

There's  some  boarding  out  to  learn  a  useful  trade, 

And  AVindsor  is  their  residence. — it  is  the  choice  they've  made. — 
And  others  stand  propounded,  and  we  can  spare  them  well, 

We  have  in  store  a  number  more,  and  Norwich  wears  the  bell. 


THE  LIBERTY  TREE 

Bv  Fairbanks  Bush. 

Our  fathers  of  old,  by  oppression  we're  told. 

Were  forced  to  cross  the  wide  sea ; 
They  came  to  this  land,  tho'  a  small,  feeble  band. 

And  they  planted  a  Liberty  Tree. 

This  tree  grew  so  tall   (yet  its  branches  were  small) 

The  nations  of  Europe  did  see : 
Then  Britain  engaged,  with  her  forces  enraged. 

To  pluck  up  this  Liberty  Tree. 

It  pleased  our  God  to  oppose  Britain's  rod. 

And  show  their  attempts  all  in  vain  : 
This  tree  here  must  stand  till  it  spreads  o'er  the  land, 

And  its  branches  shoot  over  the  main. 

This  tree  while  ascending  the  gods  were  defending. 

And  turning  all  envy  to  shame; — 
The  men  of  corruption  who  plot  its  destruction, 

All  true-hearted  men  do  disdain, 


262  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

We  have  some  British  tools  that  may  well  be  styl  'd  fools. 

They  would  give  up  our  freedom  for  gain : 
They  would  plunge  the  whole  nation  without  hesitation 

In  bondage  and  slavery's  chains. 

They  would  give  up  our  claim  to  honor  and  fame, 

Thev  would  banish  our  flag  from  the  sea ; 
If  they  had  but  the  poAver  they  would  crop  the  gay  flower, 

And  would  cut  down  this  Liberty  Tree. 

But  woe  to  the  man  that  with  Britain  doth  plan 

Against  his  own  country's  cause, 
Working  every  invention  to  stir  up  contention, 

And  censure  our  rulers  and  laws. 

Though  tories  combine  in  a  wretched  design. 

And  foreigners  with  them  agree. 
In  a  garb  of  disguise  for  to  blind  freemen's  eyes, 

While  they  cut  down  this  Liberty  Tree ; 

Though  Britain  may  boast  of  a  brave  gallant  host, 

Her  power  is  confined  to  the  sea ; 
The  sons  of  our  land  will  soon  weaken  her  hand. 

When  aimed  at  this  Liberty  Tree. 

Then  let  them  all  strive  in  their  plans  of  disguise, 

They  can 't  sap  the  least  twig"  or  a  branch ; 
We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  British  career. 

Nor  the  threats  of  that  tyrant  of  France. 

For  America's  ground  still  echoes  the  sound — 
Our  rights  we'll  defend  and  be  free; 
In  one  solid  band  we  will  march  hand  in  hand, 
And  support  this  fair  Liberty  Tree. 

*This  song  was  composed  and  sung  by  Mr.  Bush  on  the  occasion  of  the  erection  of  a 
liberty  pole  (Liberty  Tree)  and  flag-raising,  which  was  largely  attended,  on  the  grounds 
near  the  old  First  Meetinghouse,  in  Norwich,  in  the  summer  or  early  fall  of  181 2.  This 
was  shortly  after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  while  the  war  feeling  was 
at  fever  heat. 


NORWICH  CHRONOLOGY 

1761  (July  4.)  The  Charter  of  the  town  i»ranted  by  Benning  Went- 
worth.  royal  "overnor  of  New  Hampshire.  (Hartford,  Hanover, 
and  Lebanon  chartered  the  same  day.)  The  Grantees  of  Nor- 
wich hold  their  first  meeting'  (Aug'.  26)  at  the  Inn  of  Wm. 
Waterman  in  ^Mansfield,  Conn. 

1762  A  portion  of  the  township  laid  off  into  lots  by  a  committee  of 
the  grantees. 

1763  The  Grantees  of  Norwich  unite  with  those  of  Hanover,  Leba- 
non, and  Hartford  in  "clearing  a  road  from  the  old  fort  in 
Number  Four  (Charlestown,  N.  H.),  to  the  middle  of  the  town 
of  Hanover."  Jacob  Fenton,  Ebenezer  Smith  and  John  Slafter, 
from  Mansfield.  Ct.,  begin  to  make  clearings  on  the  meadows 
below  the  mouth  of  Pompa  river.  Death  of  Mr.  Fenton  from 
accidental  injuries  (July  15,  1763),  aged  sixty-five  years. 

1765  (March)  Committee  of  live  chosen  by  the  grantees  "to  lay  out 
roads  for  convenience  of  settling  said  township." 

1765-6  The  families  of  Nathan  ^lessenger  and  John  Hutchinson 
(from  Ashford,  Conn.),  the  first  to  pass  the  winter  in  town — 
occupying  a  hut  on  the  fiat  near  the  west  end  of  Hanover  bridge. 
Jacob  Burton  built  his  first  dwelling  house  a  little  west  of  the 
present  Azro  Turner  house. 

1766  First  emigration  of  permanent  settlers  (10  or  12  families). 
Jacob  Burton  builds  the  first  saw  mill  a  little  west  of  Norwich 
Plain,  on  Blood  Brook. 

1767  The  first  child  (Lydia  Hutchinson)  born  in  town  (Oct.  6), 
and  the  second  male  child  (Joel  Eichards),  born  (Nov.  26).  It 
is  believed  that  John  Waterman,  son  of  Daniel  Waterman,  was 
the  first  male  child  born  in  town.  Date  of  birth  not  known. 
Samuel  Hutchinson  erected  a  barn  on  his  farm. 

1768  A  Court  of  Confiscation  sat  in  town. 

The  first  town  meeting  held  within  the  limits  of  the  town,  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Hatch,  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  March.  This 
house  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from  the  present 
Erastus  ]\lessenger  house. 


264  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

1770  The  first  grist  mill  in  town  built  by  Joseph  Hatch  and  Oliver 
Babcock,  near  the  mouth  of  Blood  brook.  Isaac  Fellows  builds 
a  saw  and  o:rist  mill  on  Pompa  river  about  this  time. 

The  nucleus  of  a  religious  society  formed. 

The  present  Knapp  mill    (grist  mill)   was  built  about  this  time 

by  Elisha  Burton. 

1771  A  census  of  the  inhabitants  taken  by  the  authority  of  New 
York   discloses  a  population   of  206    (40   families)    in  town. 
Norwich  the  most   populous  town   in   the  county  at  this  time, 
Windsor  coming  next  with  203. 

1773  The  site  for  a  meeting-house  fixed  after  much  controversy,  and 
the  location  marked  bv  a  stake  set  bv  a  committee  from  out  of 
town. 

Capt.  Joseph  Hatch  erected  his  second  dwelling  house  (the  Ei-as- 
tus  Messenger  house). 

1774  Dr.  Joseph  Lewis  the  first  physician  in  general  practice. 

1775  The  militia  of  the  county  organized  into  a  regiment.  Peter 
Olcott  chosen  Colonel  and  Thomas  jMurdock,  IMajor.  Rev.  Ijy- 
man  Potter  the  first  minister  installed  into  office  (August  31). 
Norwich  volunteers  participate  in  the  siege  of  Boston  and  the 
invavsion  of  Canada.     Charles  Hazen  \s  house,  in  Hartford,  built. 

1777  Norwich  joins  the  movement  for  a  new  State.  Jacob  Burton 
one  of  a  committee  to  draw  up  Vermont's  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence  of   New   York.     Westminister    Convention    (Jan.    15, 

• 

1777).     The  Norwich  militia  under  Col.  Olcott  at  the  capture 
of  General  Burgoyne's  army. 

1778  The  representatives  of  Norwich  (with  those  of  nine  other 
towns)  formally  withdraw  fi'om  the  Vermont  legislatui'e  on 
account  of  the  action  of  that  body  in  refusing  to  confirm  a  Union 
of  certain  New  Hampshire  towns  with  the  new  State.  The  foun- 
dation of  the  first  meeting-house  laid  (July  9). 

1779-1780  Norwich  an  Independent  Townshi]).  The  huvs  of  Con- 
necticut adopted  for  the  government  of  the  town.  No  repre- 
sentation in  the  Vermont  legislature. 

1781  Norwich  again  united  with  Vei-mont  to  form  a  second  Union 
with  New  Hampshire. 


CHRONOLOGY  265 

1782  On  a  dissolution  of  the  second  Union  with  New  Hampshire, 
Norwich  again  revolts  and  with  thi'ee  others  towns  (Hartford, 
Newbury,  and  Bradford)  seeks  a  reunion  with  New  Hampshire. 
The  ferry  between  Norwich  and  Dresden  owned  and  controlled 
bv  the  town. 

1783  Norwich  returns  to  allegiance  to  Vermont.  Death  of  Abel 
Curtis   (October  1). 

1785  The  first  meeting-house  completed  at  a  cost  of  £694.  Daniel 
Buck,  the  first  lawyer  in  town,  opens  an  office  at  the  Center. 
The  first  school  district  (No.  1)  organized  (March),  embracing 
a  territory  two  miles  square  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town. 
The  Vermont  legislature  convenes  in  Norwich  (June  2-18),  the 
assembly  occupying  the  new  meeting-house  for  its  sessions.  The 
Windsor  County  Grammar  school  incorporated  and  located  at 
Norwich. 

1782-5     Peter  Olcott,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

1786  Dea.  John  Slafter  builds  the  Peter  Johnson  dwelling  house, 
now  standing. 

1785-9  Period  of  depreciated  currency:  taxes  paid  and  traffic  car- 
ried on  by  barter. 

1790       "Rope  Ferry"  across  Connecticut  River  established. 

1790—1     Peter  Olcott,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Vermont. 

1793-5  Daniel  Buck  represents  the  eastern  district  of  Vermont  in 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  The  nucleus  of  a  village 
begins  to  be  gathered  at  Norwich  Plain  (heretofore  Burton's 
Plain). 

1796  Decimal  money  first  used  in  levying  taxes  in  town  meeting. 
The  Connecticut  first  bridged  between  Norwich  and  Hanover. 

1796-1813     Paul  Brigham,  Lieutenant  Governor, 

1797  The  town  first  divided  into  school  districts,  12  in  number. 
The  Norwich  Hotel  built  by  Col.  Jasper  Murdock. 

1797  and  1803     Innoculation  for  the  small-pox  provided  by  the  town. 

Pest  houses  established. 
1801       Dismission  of  Rev.  Lyman   Potter.     Compulsory  support   of 

minister  by  general  taxation  no  longer  enforced. 

1803  The  bridge  to  Hanover  falls  into  the  river. 

1804  Settlement  of  Rev.  James  W.  Woodward. 


266  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

1805       A  postoffice  established  at  Norwich  Plain,  July  1. 

1807  Turnpike  road  to  Chelsea  laid  throii*ih  the  town.  The  funds 
of  Windsor  County  Grammar  school  transferred  to  Royalton 
Academy. 

1809  Hon.  Daniel  Buck  removes  to  Chelsea,  where  he  dies  in  1816. 

1810  The  feeling  in  favor  of  war  Avith  Great  Britain  rvuis  high  in 
town. 

Ibl5  The  wai-  continues  popular  to  the  end.  The  ^lethodists  build 
their  first  meeting-house.  Rapid  growth  of  this  sect  in  the 
northern  and  western  portions  of  the  town. 

1817  Differences  as  to  the  location  of  a  new  meeting-house  result  in 
-  the  building  of  two  meeting-houses  this  yeai'.  The  church  build- 
ing at  the  village  dedicated  November  20,  and  the  iiorth  meeting- 
house the  1st  of  the  following  January.  President  ^lonroe,  in 
his  tour  through  Xew  England,  visits  Norwich  and  is  forma llv 
received  by  the  citizens  at  the  Norwich  Hotel. 

1819  Death  of  Elisha  Burton,  Esq.  Rev.  R.  W.  Bailey  settled  over 
the  church  at  Norwich  Plain. 

1820  Capt.  Alden  Partridge  opens  his  IMilitary  Academy  at  Nor- 
wich. Lieut.  Gov.  Paul  Brigham  declines  re-election  after  22 
vears'  service. 

1822  Rev.  Samuel  Goddard  settled  in  the  north  parish.  Death  of 
Hon.  Ebenezer  Brown. 

1825  Captain  Partridge  removes  his  Military  Academy  to  ^licldle- 
town,  Ct.     Death  of  Hon.  Paul  Brigham. 

1825-35  Height  of  the  jji'osperity  of  the  North  Congregational  So- 
ciety. 

1826  Baptist  Church  formed  at  Beaver  ^leadow.    • 

1827  First  organized  Temperance  Society  (in  the  north  parish). 

1829  Hon.  Thomas  Emerson  removes  to  Windsoi-,  to  become  presi- 
dent of  the  bank  there.  Freshet  carries  away  bridge  and  grist 
mill  at  Gleason's  Flats. 

1830  The  census  of  this  year  shows  a  population  of  2316 — the  maxi- 
mum number  ever  reached.  Number  of  children  of  school  age, 
774.  Captain  Partridge  retulnis  to  Norwich  and  erects  a  second 
school  building.  Postoffice  opened  nt  Tnioi^  Village  (January  1). 


CHRONOLOGV  26^ 

1833  Baptist  meetin^-honse  built  at  Beaver  ^Meadow.  Death  of 
V)V.  Joseph  Lewis. 

1834  School  district  No.  20  organized. 

1835  Norwich  University  established.  An  Episcopal  chui'ch  oi'gan- 
ized. 

1836  The  ^lethodists  bnild  a  new  brick  meeting-honse  at  T^nion  Vil- 
lage. 

1837  Methodist  meeting-house  at  Beaver  Meadow  erected. 

1839  The  third  toll-bridge  between  Norwich  and  Hanover  built. 
Congregational  vestry  building,  at  Norwich  Village,  built  at  a 
cost  of  $700. 

1840  The  Whigs  achieve  a  temporary  victory,  and  elect  Judge  Love- 
land  to  the  legislature.  T\fh\n<j-me)\  and  Jiaywards  no  longer 
elected  at  the  annual  town  meeting.  The  town  purchases  its 
first  poor  farm  of  Nathaniel  Leavitt. 

1841  (Nov.  1)      James  Swenev  murdered  his  wife. 
1842-3     Erysipelas  prevails  in  town  and  is  very  fatal. 

1842  Culmination  of  the  "hard  times"  following  the  financial  col- 
lapse of  1837.  Nearly  $1,000  of  KiicoUrcted  faxes  on  the  lists  of 
1840  and  1841. 

1843  Capt.  Partridge  resigns  the  presidency  of  Norwich  University, 
and  is  succeeded  by  Col.  T.  B.  Ransom.  Ex-Vice  President  of 
the  United  States,  Pichard  ]\1.  Johnson,  the  guest  of  the  town 
and  is  treated  to  a  barbecue   (Oct.  25). 

1844  Death  of  Rev.  Samuel  Goddard.  Two  disastrous  freshets,  one 
in  September  did  great  damage  in  the  north  and  west  parts  of 
the  town ;  and  one  in  October  carried  away  every  bridge  between 
Amsden's  mill  and  the  head  of  Blood  Brook. 

1847  Col.  Ransom  in  command  of  the  New  England  Regiment  (9th 
Infantry)  sails  for  ]\Iexico  (I\Iay  1).  He  is  killed  at  Chapulte- 
pec,  jMexico,  at  the  head  of  a  charging  column  (September  13). 

1845  The  funeral  of  Col.  Ransom  at  Norwich  (February  22)  at- 
tended with  military  honors.  The  largest  assemblage  of  people 
ever  seen  here.  The  Passumpsic  Railroad  completed  throngh 
town.     Postoffice  established  at  Pompanoosuc. 

1850       Printed  annual  reports  of  town  officers  first  provided  for. 
1811       Dr.  Edward  Bourne  president  of  Norwich  University. 


268  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

1852  After  holding'  town  and  freemen's  meetings  for  ten  years  at 
the  villase,  thev  are  resnmed  at  the  old  Center  meeting-honse 
for  a  few  years. 

1853  The  town  votes  in  February,  177  to  104,  not  to  ratify  the  Pro- 
hibitory Liquor  Law  enacted  by  the  Vermont  legislature  of  1852. 
The  last  toll-bridge  between  Norwich  and  Hanover  destroyed  by 
fire. 

1854  Sunday  services  discontinued  in  the  north  parish.     Dissolution 
of  the  North  Congregational  church.     Death  of  Captain  Alden 

Partridge.     Formation   of  the   Republican   party.     End   of  the 
Democratic  supremacy  in  town. 

1857  The  second  meeting-house  erected  at  the  "Center,''  sold  at  auc- 
tion to  Chas.  A.  and  G.  M.  Slack  for  $100. 

1858  All  town  meetings  held  at  the  village  from  this  date. 

1859  The  Ledyard  Free  Bridge  between  Norwich  and  Hanover 
opened  to  public  travel.  (The  first  free  bridge  on  Connecticut 
river). 

1861  The  first  volunteers  for  the  war  from  Norwich  (eight  men) 
enlist  (June  1)  in  Company  C  (Captain  David  T.  Corbin),  3rd 
Regiment  Vermont  Volunteers.  Gratuities  to  volunteers  paid 
by  Henry  Blood,  Esq. 

1863       An  Episcopal  church  built  at  the  village. 

1865  Total  am.ount  of  war  expenses,  $32,260.  Amount  of  town  debt 
reported   (March)   $27,169. 

1860  The  "South  Barracks"  building  of  Norwich  University  burned 
(March  13).  Removal  of  the  institution  to  Northfield  the  fol- 
lowing autumn. 

1867  The  Norwich  Classical  and  English  Boarding  School  opened 
(December).     Death  of  Dr.  Shubael  Converse. 

18!)8       Death  of  Hon.  Harvev  Burton. 

1  69  Great  freshet,  Oct.  4,  damaging  roads  and  bridges  to  the 
amount  of  $4,000  to  $6,000  in  town,  besides  extensive  injury  to 
private  property.  President  IT.  S.  Grant  on  his  way  from  the 
White  Mountains,  received  at  Norwich  and  Hanover  depot  by  a 
large  concou^se  of  people. 

1870  Death  of  Hon.  Aaron  Loveland. 


TOWN    OFFICERS 


269 


1878  Death  of  Fairbanks  Bush,  as:ed  100  years.  Death  of  Dr.  Ira 
Davis. 

1875  The  "Old  Corner  Store"  at  Norwich  village  consumed  by  fire 
(Ausiust  4).  The  Baptist  meetin<i-honse  at  West  Norwich  de- 
molished and  removed  to  Sharon  villaoe. 

1878       The  Norwich  Classical  and  English  boarding  school  extinct. 

1880  The  Norwich  Public  Library  established  (December).  Num- 
ber of  children  of  school  age  (between  five  and  twenty),  391. 

1883       The  town  (war)  debt  extinguished. 

1889  Union  Hotel  and  connecting  buildings  destroyed  by  fire 
(Dec.  29). 

1890  "The  Newton  Inn"  erected  by  Dr.  W.  S.  Bowles. 

1892  Ames'  steam  mill  burned  in  August;  rebuilt  and  a^ain  de- 
sti'oyed  by  fire,  October,  1893. 

1895  Joseph  ^lurdock  committed  suicide,  Nov.  29,  by  hanging  him- 
self to  a  tree  in  his  garden.  Vandals  removed  his  body  from 
the  grave ;  were  prosecuted  and  forced  to  pay  heavy  fines. 

1897  Academy  building,  formerly  the  north  building  of  Norwich 
Universitv,  destroved  bv  fire,  October  13. 

1898  School  building,  Norwich  village,  erected. 
1S99  Robert  Emerton  killed  by  S.  A.  Bugbee. 
1901       First  observance  of  Old  Home  Week,  Aug.  16. 

1904  Harrv  Coolev,  a  child,  run  over  and  killed  bv  a  team  near 
the  bridge  south  of  the  railroad  station. 


I. 


TOWN   OFFICERS 
While  an  Independent  Township 


Year  First  Selectman 

First  Constable 

Town  Clerk 

1761 

Samuel  West 

Andrew  Crocker 

Eleazar  Wales 

1762 

Abner  Barker 

u 

^t 

1763 

u 

(None  on  record) 

Moses  Holmes 

1764 

Andrew  Crocker 

(b 

Eleazar  Wales 

1765 

Jacob  Burton 

Samuel  Fenton 

Barnabus  Delano 

1766 

William  Johnson 

John  Slafter 

^^ 

1767 

Peter  Thatcher 

Medad  Benton 

Hezekiah  Johnson 

1768 

Samuel  Partridge 

a 

Thomas  Murdock 

1769 

Thomas  Murdock 

*i 

John  Hatch 

270 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


1770 

1771 
1772 

1774 

1775 
1776 

1777 


*Hezekiah  Johnson 
*Joseph  Smalley 
*Jacob  Burton 
*Samuel  Hutchinson 
*Peter  Olcott 

Joseph  Smalley 
Peter  Olcott 

*Supervisors 


John  Slafter 
Francis  Smalley 
John  Hopson 
(Town  elected  trustees) 


Elijah  Gates 


Peter  Olcott 
John  Hatch 


Under  Vt.  State  Government 


Year  First  Selectman 
1778     Peter  Olcott 


First  Constable 
Elijah  Gates 


Representatives 

*  Jacob  Burton,  Mch.  Ses. 
Abel  Curtis  )  Octobei 
Joseph  Hatch  (     Session 

*Peter  Olcott  and  Thomas  Murdoch  were  elected  Representatives  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  March,  but  on  the  convening  of  the  legislature  were  each  found  to  be 
chosen  to  the  Council.  They  accordingly  took  their  seats  in  that  body.  In  September 
following,  Messrs.  Curtis  and  Hatch  were  chosen  to  the  Assembly.  In  the  meantime 
Jacob  Burton  appears  to  have  served,  either  by  special  appointment  in  the  vacancy,  or 
from  consent  by  reason  of  having  sat  in  the  conventions  of  the  preceding  year.  The 
Assembly  Journal  shows  that  Mr.  Burton  was  appointed  one  of  a  committee  on  the 
second  day  of  the  March  session,  to  draw  up  rules  for  the  regulation  of  the  Assembly. 
Until  1785,  every  town  containing  eighty  taxable  inhabitants  was  allowed  by  a  provision 
of  the  constitution,  to  send  tAvo  representatives. 

Unrepresented 
Thomas  Murdock 
Elisha  Burton 
Abel  Curtis 
Elisha  Burton 
Abel  Curtis 
Thomas  Murdock 
Elisha  Burton 
*Paul  Brigham 

*Abel  Curtis  died  Oct.  i,  1783,  when  member  elect.  Paul  Brigham  was  chosen  to 
his  place  at  a  special  town  meeting  held  for  that  purpose  a  few  days  after  the  assembling 
of  the  legislature. 

John  Wright 


1779 

Nathaniel  Brown 

Asa  Story 

1780 

Hezekiah  Johnson 

Solomon  Cushman 

I78I 

Abel  Curtis 

James  Smalley 

1782 

(> 

Benjamin  Hatch 

1783 

Elijah  Gates 

Elisha  Burton 

1784  Samuel  Waterman 

1785  Joseph  Hatch 

1786  William  Lewis 

1787 
1788 

1789 

1790  Thomas  Murdock 

1791  Daniel  Buck 


Hezekiah  Goodrich 
Joseph  Bartlett 
Asa  Story 
Adrian  Hatch 
Calvin  Seaver 
Roswell  Olcott 


Elisha  Burton 
Elijah  Gates 
Jacob  Burton 
Paul  Brigham 
PLlisha  Burton 


Joseph  Hatch 
Paul  Brigham 


TOWN    Ol'l'ICER 


71 


1792 

W  illiam  i^ewis 

1793 

(1 

1794 

Hezekiah  Goodrich 

1795 

William  Lewis 

1796 

u 

1797 

John  Slafter 

1798 

Pierce  Burton 

1799 

Elisha  Burton 

1800 

«( 

I80I 

(( 

1802 

Pierce  Burton 

1803 

ii 

1804 

Ebenezer  Brown 

1805 

Samuel  Waterman 

1806 

Ebenezar  Brown 

1807 

Hezekiah  Goodrich 

1808 

Constant  Murdock 

1809 

Daniel  G.  Baker 

i8io 

Joseph  Howes 

1811 

a 

1812 

Jesse  Stoddard 

1813 

Joseph  Howes 

1814 

Pierce  Burton 

1815 

u 

1816 

Don  J.  Brigham 

1817 

bh 

1818 

Pierce  Burton 

1819 

Don  J.  Brigham 

1820 

u 

1821 

Calvin  Seaver 

1822 

John  Emerson 

1823 

John  Brown 

1824 

Thomas  Emerson 

1825 

(( 

1826 

a 

1827 

Ethan  Burnap 

1828 

Alba  Stimson 

1829 

Alba  Stimson 

1830 

a 

1831 

u 

1832 

Elias  Lyman 

1833 

Don  J.  Brigham 

1834 

James  Harrison 

1835 

C\rus  Partridge 

1836 

a 

1837 

(« 

1 8^8 

(< 

1839 

u 

1840 

John  Wright 

Pierce  Burton 

Aaron  Storrs 

Daniel  Buck 

Jehiel  Boardman 

John  Bush 

64 

Ebenezer  Brown 

U 

Roswell  Olcott 

Peter  Thatcher 

i^ 

it 

Elisha  Burton 

John  Burton 

(t 

a 

Peter  Olcott 

Elijah  Yemans,  Jr. 

Pierce  Burton 

Don  J.  Brigham 

Hezekiah  Goodrich 

John  Brown 

Pierce  Burton 

0 

Daniel  Buck 

(( 

Joseph  Lewis 

Pierce  Burton 

(I 

Simon  Baldwin 

John  Brown 

(( 

ti 

Israel  Newton 

n 

Don  J.  Brigham 

fci 

a 

(« 

a 

Edmond  C.  Hovey 


Elisha  Partridge 
Chauncey  Hunt 
Edmond  C.  Hovey 
Levi  Sanborn 

Edmond  C.  Hovey 

44 

David  Freeman 
Ebenezar  B.  Brown 

4( 
44 
44 
(4 


iVaron  Loveland 


Thomas  Emerson 


William  E.  Lewis 


Cyrus  Partridge 
Elias  Lyman,  Jr. 


Alden  Partridge 


Cyi"us  Partridge 

44 

Alden  Partridge 
Thomas  Hazen 
Alden  Partridge 
Aaron  Loveland 


272 


HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 


[841 
[842 

t843 
[844 
[845 
[846 
[847 
[848 
[849 
[850 
[851 
1852 

t853 
[854 
1855 
1856 

t857 
[858 

[859 
[860 
[861 
[862 
1863 
[864 
[865 
[866 
[867 
t868 
[869 
[870 
[871 
[872 

1873 
[874 

[875 
[876 

[877 
[878 

[879 
[880 
[881 
[882 
[883 
[884 
[885 
[886 
1887 
[888 
[889 


William  Loveland 
Ebenezar  B.  Brown 
John  Wright 

Joseph  P.  Wyatt 

u 

Isaac  Pierce 
Alba  Stimson 

William  E.  Lewis 


Elias  Newton 


John  W.  Loveland 
Eber  N.  Clark 
Frederick  W.  Strong 
Eber  N.  Clark 
Joseph  H.  Pratt 
John  W.  Loveland 


Shubael  Converse 

Edward  M.  Lewis 
Ebenezar  B.  Brown 
Edward  M.  Lewis 

John  W.  Loveland 
Augustus  C.  Lyman 
Charles  C.  Sawyer 

David  A.  Loveland 
Bartlett  Sargent 
Henry  Hutchinson 
Richard  Waterman 
John  W.  Loveland 
Amberg  V.  Turner 


George  Messenger 
Bartlett  Sargent 

Amberg  V.  Turner 

(I 

John  A.  Sargent 
R.  E.  Cook 


William  E.  Lewis 

Ira  Davis 

Samuel  Wright 

n 

i>i 

Ebenezar  Spear,  and 

11 

Shubael  Converse 

tt 

a 

Charles  Hatch 
Ezekiel  Gile 

William  E.  Lewis 


John  A.  Sargent 
John  W.  Armstrong 
Don  A.  Brigham 
Samuel  A.  Armstrong 


Charles  E.  Ensworth 
Samuel  A.  Armstrong 


William  Loveland 
No  election 
Ebenezar  Spear,  2nd 
Ebenezar  B.  Brown 
Samuel  Goddard 
Lewis  S.  Partridge 

Franklin  L.  Olds 

William  E.  Lewis 

Joseph  T.  Loveland 

u 

John  W.  Loveland 

Joseph  II.  Pratt 
William  E.  Lewis 
Aaron  G.  Pease 

Joseph  T.  Loveland 

Ebenezar  B.  Brown 

it 

No  election 
William  E.  Lewis 
John  Dutton 
Bartlett  Sargent 
William  E.  Lewis 
Samuel  H,  Currier 
Henry  V.  Partridge 
Amberg  V.  Turnet 
George  Messenger 
Aarcn  Loveland 


h4 
U 


TOWN    OFFICERS 


273 


1890 

Sam'l  Hutchinson 

1 891 

A.  V.  Turner 

1892 

T  A.  Hazen 

1893 

J.  W.  Hutchinson 

1894 

A.  V.  Turner 

1895 

C.  W.  Brown 

1896 

u 

1897 

H.  S.  Goddard 

1898 

C.  W.  Brown 

1899 

u 

1900 

1( 

I90I 

a 

I90I 

(( 

1903 

F.  S.  Nott 

1904 

a 

Samuel  A.  Armstrong 
J.  W.  Armstrong 


R  E.  Cook 


M.  W.  Bruce 


F.  A.  Fitzgerald 


W.  H.  Clogston 


David  A.  Loveland 


Sam'l  Hutchinson 


E.  W.  Olds 


R.  T.  Lewis 


Hersey  E.  Kendall 


R.  A.  Tilden 


THE  NORWICH  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

The  Norwich  Public  Library  Association  was  organized  in  Decem- 
ber, 1880,  with  the  following  officers  :  J.G.  Stimson,  President  ;  Thos. 
A.  Hazen,  Vice  President  ;  William  H.  Currier,  Secretary;  Mrs.  E. 
'W.  Olds,  Librarian  ;  William  E.  Lewis,  Treasurer  ;  and  M.  E.  God- 
dard, Miss  Sarah  J.  Burton,  and  Rev.  N.  R.  Nichols,  Trustees.  At 
first  the  books  of  the  library  were  kept  in  the  upper  rooms  of  the 
vestry  in  Norwich  village  ;  then  removed  to  the  Academy  building, 
where  they  remained  until  fire  destroyed  that  structure,  October  5, 
1897  ;  thence  to  the  James  Hutchinson  house  on  Main  Street,  whence 
they  were  removed  to  their  present  new  home  further  up  the  street. 

Before  the  erection  of  the  library  building,  a  subscription  paper 
was  put  into  circulation,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  which  returned  in 
due  time  with  sufficient  encouragement  to  warrant  the  project  of 
building. 

A  contract  was  soon  made  with  E.  F.  Phelps  of  Lebanon,  N.  H., 
and  on  the  10th  day  of  September,  1901,  the  first  removal  of  earth  for 
the  foundation  of  the  structure  was  made.  The  building  was  finished 
on  the  22d  of  the  following  February,  ready  to  be  turned  over  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  association.  The  following  account  of  the  dedicatory 
exercises  was  kindly  prepared  by  Miss  Mary  Loveland  : 

"Norwich  Library  is  a  dedicated  reality  —  on  the  afternoon  of 
February  26,  1902,  a  goodly  company  gathered  in  the  Congregational 


274  HISTORY    OF    NORWICH 

Church  to  listen  to  interesting  and  instructive  dedicatory  exercises. 
Two  from  Dartmouth  College,  Prof.  C.  F.  Richardson  and  Prof. 
Justin  H.  Smith,  talked  about  the  influence  of  books  on  a  community, 
and  small  libraries.  Professor  Richardson,  with  many  other  helpful 
suggestions,  gave  one  he  wished  remembered,  if  the  rest  were  for- 
gotten :  to  read,  on  an  average,  one  book  each  fortnight. 

''  Professor  Smith,  a  former  resident  of  the  town,  before  telling  of 
small  libraries  of  great  men,  gave  an  account  of  the  '  Prehistoric  Age' 
of  the  Norwich  Library  —  a  movement  among  some  of  the  boys  which 
secured  books  that  were  later  turned  over  to  this  association.  It  may 
be  stated  that  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  had  books 
which  were  handed  down.  Mr.  H.  V.  Partridge  was  the  historian  of 
the  library,  and  Mr.  H.  B.  Olds  urged  town  loyalty  upon  the  residents. 
E,  F.  Phelps  of  Lebanon,  the  contractor,  formally  presented  the  keys, 
which  were  received  by  Rev.  N.  R.  Nichols,  one  of  the  Trustees,  who 
also  gave  a  financial  statement  rendered  by  Miss  S.  J.  Burton,  and 
offered  prayer.  The  church  choir  furnished  two  anthems  for  the 
occasion." 

The  success  of  this  enterprise  in  all  ways  ;  in  the  amount  of  gr)od 
literature  upon  its  shelves,  its  continued  and  increasing  patronage  by 
the  lovers  of  good  reading  matter,  and  in  the  well  arranged  and 
attractive  structure  provided  for  its  home,  is  highly  gratifying  to  its 
friends.  While  enjoying  this  pleasing  condition  of  affairs,  let  us  not 
forget  the  sources  of  the  means  to  provide  all  this.  With  no  lessen- 
ing appreciation  of  what  others  have  done,  stern  duty — to  which  we 
all  render  ready  obedience  in  this  instance — requires  that  we  never 
forget  the  long  and  unceasing  efforts  so  cheerfully  rendered  by  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Burton  and  by  the  late'M.  E.  Goddard,  in  creating  and 
advancing  this  pleasant  educational  undertaking. 


INDEX 


Part  i  —  Historical 


Norwich  an  independent  township 
First  town  meeting,  held  at  Mansfield, 

Conn. 
Early  town  meetings  in  Norwich 
Highways  first  laid  out 
First   bridge  across  Ompompanoosuc 
river 

Meeting  of  proprietors  of  Norwich 

Charter  of  "  Norwhich  " 

"  Names  of  the  Grantees  of  Norwhich  " 

Early  removals  of  proprietors  to  Nor- 
wich 

Further  meetings  of  the  proprietors 

Last  meetings  of  the  proprietors 

First  settlements  in  Norwich 

Experiences  of  early  settlers 

First  sawmill  built  in  Norwich 

First  house  erected  in  town 

Sites  of  early  settlements 

First  child  born  in  town 

Founding  of  Dartmouth  College 

Early  journals  of  President  Wheelock 

Norwich  subscriptions  for  Dartmouth 
College 

Population  of  Norwich,  1770-1771 

Fathers  of  the  Town 

i'J'orwich  in  the  controversv  with  New 
York 

Independence  recommended  by  com- 
mittee 

Proposed  union  with  New  Hampshire 

Norwich  and  Dartmouth  College 

Voluntary  donations  for  the  founding 
of  Dartmouth 

Hanover  bridge 

First  bridge  between  Norwich  and  Han- 
over 

Dedication  of  Ledyard  Free  Bridge 

Church  history 

Report  of  committee  locating  the  first 
meeting  house 


Page 
3 

4 

5 
6 

8 

9 
12 

15 

16 
17 
19 
21 
22 
29 
29 

31 

33 
35 
37 

38 
39 
39 

42 

47 
49 
53 

54 

57 

59 
60 

62 
63 


State  legislature  meets  at  Norwich 

Passage  of  Ministerial  y\ct 

Building  of  second  meeting  house  at 

"the  Center" 
Extracts  from  commemorative  discourse 
Meeting  house  built  at  Norwich  Plain 
Efforts  to  erect  a  rival  meeting  house 

on  the  Plain 
The  Congregational  Church  of  Norwich 
Methodism  in  Norwich 
List  of  Methodist  Clergymen,  1822-1905 
The  Baptists  in  Norwich 
The  Episcopal  Church  at  Norwich 
Nonvich  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
Court  of  Confiscation  sits  at  Norwich 
Confiscation  of  Tory  Property 
Roster   of    Revolutionary   soldiers    at 

Norwich 
Norwich  in  the  Second  War  with  Great 

Britain 
Resolutions  passed  relating  to  War  with 

Great  Britain 
Norwich  soldiers  in  War  of  181 2 
Norwich  soldiers  in  War  with  Mexico 
Norwich  in  the  Civil  War 
Roster  of  soldiers  in  Civil  War 
Educational 

Windsor  County  Grammar  School 
Norwich  Classical  and  English  Board- 
ing School  incorporated 
The  A.  L.  S.  and  M.  Academy 
Academy  becomes  Norwich  University 
Norwich  University  in  the  Rebellion 
The  "  College  Cavaliers" 
Norwich  University  alumni 
Political  parties  in  Norwich 
Votes  for  President,  1828-1890 
Postmasters  and  postal  service 
Postmasters  and  locations  of  post  offices 
Growth  and  decline  of  population 
Early  surnames  of  families 


Page 
67 
69 

72 
72 

74 

76 
76 
78 
80 
81 

83 
84 

87 
87 

89 

91 

93 
94 
95 
96 

97 
103 
106 

107 
109 
no 
112 

113 
114 
116 
120 

123 
125 
128 
136 


276 


INDEX 


Local  names 
Industries 
Norwich  Merchants 
Cemetries 
Epidemics  in  Norwich 


Page 
137 
139 
146 
149 
151 


Agriculture  in  Norwich 

Free  Masonry 

Distinguished  visitors  in  Norwich 

President  Monroe  visits  Norwich 


Page 

153 
156 

158 

158 


Part  11  —  Biographical 


Baxter  family 

165 

Blaisdell  family 

166 

Boardman  family 

166 

Ebenezer  Brown 

168 

Jacob  Burton 

168 

Reverend  Doctor  Asa  Burton 

169 

Honorable  Daniel  Buck 

171 

Honorable  D.  A.  A.  Buck 

175 

Bush  family 

178 

Fairbanks  Bush 

179 

Professor  George  Bush 

180 

Paul  Brigham 

182 

Doctor  Thomas  S.  Brigham 

186 

Zebina  Coit 

187 

George  Musalas  Colvocoresses 

188 

George  Partridge  Colvocoresses 

189 

Cook  family 

190 

Curtis  family 

191 

Abel  Curtis 

193 

An  Unsung  Worthy 

194 

Doctor  Shubael  Converse 

198 

Rear-Admiral  George  A.  Converse 

199 

Cushman  family 

199 

Moses  Davis 

201 

Doctor  Ira  Davis 

201 

Dutton  family 

202 

Emerson  brothers 

203 

Reverend  Samuel  Goddard 

205 

John  Hatch,  Esq. 

210 

Captain  Joseph  Hatch 

211 

Honorable  Reuben  Hatch 

212 

Doctor  Horace  Hatch 

213 

Part 

III  — M 

Ompompanoosuc  agricultural  fair  so- 
ciety 
Old  home  week  observance 
Some  incidents  of  litigation 
Norwici  Public  Library 


Hutchinson  family 

Johnson  family 

Lewis  family 

Doctor  Joseph  Lewis 

Doctor  Enos  Lewis 

General  William  E.  Lewis 

Lord  family 

Loveland  family 

Messenger  family 

Thomas  Murdock  family 

Deacon  Israel  Newton 

Reverend  N.  R.  Nichols 

Honorable  Peter  Olcott 

Partridge  family 

Captain  Alden  Partridge 

Captain  Partridge  as  an  Educator 

General  Lewis  S.  Partridge 

Reverend  Lyman  Potter 

Richards  family 

Truman  Bishop  Ransom 

General   Thomas    Edward    Greenfield 

Ransom 
Seaver  family 
Sargent  family 
Sawyer  family 
Stimsni^^mily 
Colonel  Alba  Stimson 
Doctor  Amos  Twitchell 
Waterman  family 
Wright  family 
General  Edward  B.  Williston 


Miscellaneous 

Norwich  Wears  the  Bell  (verse) 
255    The  Liberty  Tree  (verse) 


214 
217 
218 
219 
221 
222 
222 
223 
225 
226 
228 
229 
229 

231 
232 

234 
235 
236 

238 

239 

242 

243 

244 
245 
246 
247 
248 

249 

250 

252 


256    Chronology 
258    Town  officers 

273 


259 
261 
263 
269 


ERRATA 

Page  125. — 3rcl  line,   ''Joseph  "  should  be  Jacob. 

29th  line,   "Where  Ira  Davis  first  kept  the  office"  should 
not  aj^pear. 

Page  165. --13th      and     i6th      lines,       Bennington"      should     read 
Brownington. 

Page  211. — 6th  line  under  caption,    "Captain  Joseph  Hatch,"  second 
instead  of  "first." 
4th  line,   "1771  "  should  read  1773. 

PA(iE  190.— 17th  line,  "  Commander  "  should  read  Captain. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

MAY16  1968  31 

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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


